


So, you mean like...

by tuosunog



Category: BLACKPINK (Band), Big Bang (Band), MBLAQ, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Gen, M/M, Modern magic AU, but let see where this will go, honestly idk what im doing i have No Plans, mild TW for blood and injury
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-09
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-06-07 18:16:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 25,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15225124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tuosunog/pseuds/tuosunog
Summary: That Feel When Late Night Snacking Goes Wrong





	1. I knew Instant Ramen Was A Bad Idea

Taehyung doesn't really get it, why people seem to be so wary around him. When he was younger, he'd been told that he was like a ray of sunshine packed into a box shaped smile, a funny little kid with the impressive talent of cheering up even strangers he's only just met. But as he grew older, and even though his first impressions with people went swimmingly well, he could never really keep many friends. He's not sure why, he hasn't changed all that much; he's gotten taller, his voice deeper, but over all he was still the same kid that pointed at the stars at night hoping to see a UFO or something.

He does have a few friends who stick around, Namjoon for one. He's asked Namjoon before if there was something wrong with him, if he was too weird and it drove people away. But Namjoon had told him in all honesty that his oddities and weirdness was what made him charming and fun to be around— but even he couldn't deny the fact that it was like there was balloon tied to Taehyung's wrist, except the balloon was a nimbus cloud rumbling with thunder and no one knew when the thunder and lightning would strike.

It was a weird way to describe it, but Taehyung was thankful for the honest answer. He could always trust Namjoon with that sort of stuff, he finds himself really lucky to have him in his life.

In any case, his life continues the way it does. People like him at first, and then some invisible force or something keeps them at a polite distance. He knows that when they avoid him, its not out of malice but out of caution. He's asked more people aside from Namjoon, and they've given him similar answers: there's something about him that makes them nervous, which doesn't really make much sense because some people genuinely like him but just cant shake the feeling that there's something wrong.

Its 2 in the morning, and the craving for instant ramen hits him as usual. His kitchen cupboards prove empty, and Namjoon is out for a couple of days for some project that he forgot the details of. So his post midnight food run is alone, but what else is new?

The convenience store across their apartment building is pretty empty, aside from maybe one or two people. Taehyung doesn't bother to count. He just wants to get in, then out, so he can eat at home while binge watching a few more episodes of anime before finally going to sleep. He stops in front of the instant noodle section, hand on his chin and hip poised to the left in thought, as he tries to decide what flavor he wants. He spends a couple of minutes there, debating with himself, when a voice pulls him out of his thoughts.

"Hey," the man greets with a voice that sounds like it hasn't been used in a while, or perhaps a voice that's been used a little too much; it's deep and a little gravely, and if Taehyung has to be honest with himself, which he always is, it's kind of attractive. He looks like he hasn't seen a bed in days, dark circles under his eyes, hair disheveled, and clothes that look like they haven't been washed in days. He thankfully, doesn't smell terrible, though he kind of smells like coffee and take out fast food.

Taehyung looks at the man with raised eyebrows. "Good evening?" he greets though really it's a question. He's not opposed to meeting new people, but it caught him off guard. Attractive people usually catch him off guard, especially if they talk to him first instead of the other way around.

The man nods at him once, then shuffles his feet around for a brief moment like he's not sure what to say. But that hesitance doesn't last long enough for Taehyung to even notice it because the man is talking again in that gravely voice of his, and what he says makes a shiver run down Taehyung's spine. "Someone's following you."

Taehyung's had a stalker before, and not one of those cute stalkers that go through all your social media, accidentally like a selfie from months ago, and pretends it never happened. No, his very first and hopefully only stalker was a creepy guy who knew where he lived, and actually sent threatening messages to Namjoon just because they were roommates. It was one of those obsessive _'If I Can't Have You, No Once Can,'_ kind of stalkers. But Namjoon's very clever and managed to find the guy and report him to the police.

Taehyung fidgets, his fingers twitching and jerking in anticipation. He looks over his shoulder as casually as he can manage but sees no one in the shop with them, or even outside. Only a lone bicyclist is outside, and he seems to be having an argument with the flat tire of his bike. He turns to look at the man with a nervous smile. "I don't see them?"

The man looks over Taehyung's shoulder, and it looks like he's making eye contact with someone. Taehyung can't help but shuffle closer to feel safer, it doesn't matter that the man warning him is shorter than him but he almost has the need to hide behind him.

The man's words make him want to scream. "He's right behind you."


	2. I Really Shouldn't Be Surprised At This Point But I Am

Namjoon's known Taehyung for years now, he knows that the younger one was strange in a way that a lot of people found odd and borderline uncomfortable at times but he likes him. He always has an interesting way of looking at things, saying things that are odd at first then start to make sense a little on— he's a fun conversation partner, honestly, even if at times his ideas seem so far fetched. They've been roommates for almost as long as they've known each other and over those years he's learned that Kim Taehyung is unpredictable. It's a good thing, it keeps him on his toes, prepares him for emergency situations (like that one time Taehyung tried to cook him seaweed soup to surprise Namjoon on his birthday but ended up setting a small fire in the kitchen).

He shouldn't be surprised, really, that when he finally comes home after three days agonizing over a school project (with an unfortunately infuriating partner), he finds Taehyung sitting on the coffee table in the middle of their small apartment with his fingernails between his teeth and a worried look on his face as he watches this small man circling him. Namjoon shuts the door behind him with an audible click, and it draws their gazes towards him. It is then that he realizes that the small man has something in between his fingers, the tip glowing orange and emitting smoke that's really making the room smell. Namjoon presses his lips together in concern, before he asks with an oddly calm voice: "is that weed?"

"Ah, hyung!" Taehyung is on his feet, about to greet his roommate with a hug but he stops himself, like he just remembered that he was trapped in an invisible box. He sits back down, one leg bouncing up and down in anticipation. "You're back, how was your day?"

Namjoon just has this very confused look on his face, like he isn't sure what he's supposed to do or say. Before he can say anything though, the small man is already speaking.

"It's not weed," he rolls his eyes, a frown on his lips. He reaches out for Taehyung's hand, and Taehyung offers it readily, accepting the not-weed stick into his hands. "Taehyung-ah, I think that should be fine for now," he says quietly, but Namjoon hears it anyway.

"Are you sure?" Taehyung asks, looking at the end of the not-weed stick before grabbing the glass of water that was beside him. He dumps the stick in the glass, putting it out easily, before setting it aside. He stands up, grabbing at the other man's hands in both of his. "You don't have to go..."

"It's just not working, is all. I don't think so," the small man replies. He's looking at their hands, like he's not sure if he likes the touching or not. He doesn't pull away though. "But you don't have to worry, I don't think it's dangerous. I'll try to find other ways to make this better, then we can try again."

Taehyung nods his head, though his words come out hesitantly. "Okay..."

The smaller man gives Taehyung one more look before finally pulling his hands away, gathering his things quickly and stuffing them into his bag. He walks to the door, where Namjoon is still standing and watching, then bows his head politely before making his leave.

A short awkward silence fills the space, and it's broken only because Taehyung practically skips his way to Namjoon. The worried look from earlier is gone, replaced instead with his usual boxy grin. Namjoon's not sure what just happened, but whatever it was, something about the place feels different now. Even with all the smoke that still lingering in the air (why didn't the smoke detector go off?) it somehow feels a little bit easier to breathe. "Who was that?"

"That was Suga-hyung," Taehyung answers. He takes Namjoon's wrist and pulls him away from the door. "He's helping me out with... Stuff..."

"Stuff?" Namjoon echos. "What kind of stuff—"

"You know, now that I think about it," Taehyung interrupts. "I don't think his name is really Suga. Isn't that a weird name to have? Suga... Do you think maybe his parents named him Suga because they wanted him to be a sweet person when he grew up? Well, I guess they weren't wrong! Suga-hyung's pretty sweet. I mean, I just met him a few days ago and he's already offering to help me with this stuff."

"You let a stranger into our home just because he said he could help you with stuff?" Namjoon scratches his head in disbelief, letting himself fall against their couch loudly. "Tae, I was gone for three days and you bring a strange man home to help you with stuff by... smoking a joint?"

"It's not weed!!!" Taehyung wheezes at him, exasperated. "I swear its not!"

"Then???" Namjoon is literally at a loss for words. "I'm just..? Can you maybe explain what I just witnessed then? I think you might need a power point for this cause I really cannot put these pieces together."

Taehyung makes a noise, it's a noise that Namjoon recognizes as hesitation and frustration rolled into one. "I'll have to ask Suga-hyung first," he mumbles, his fingers laced together and moving in a jittery way that spells anxiety. "It's not that I don't want to tell you, because I do want to tell you! It's just a little bit complicated and telling you the story will mean I'll have to tell you a little bit about Suga-hyung but I'm pretty sure Suga-hyung wouldn't appreciate me telling other people about his private life. I think he likes to keep it low key and I—"

Namjoon lets out a deep sigh and nods. Taehyung was an odd one, he knew this. It was only natural that more odd people would come into his life too. After all, birds of the same feather flock together and all that jazz. And though Taehyung is weird, he trusts him with his life. "Okay," he starts. "Introduce me to him properly next time."

"Oh!" And Taehyung looks excited again, his smile big and bright. "Oh hyung, you'll really like him! He looks like a meanie face but I swear he's like, super nice in this really weird way."

"Yeah," Namjoon laughs genuinely. Taehyung attracts odd people, but the ones that he ends up liking usually turn out to be good people too. "Anyway, can we get some windows open? It really stinks bad in here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> literally just making stuff up as i go


	3. It's True, But He Shouldn't Say It

Before Suga has even pushed the door, J-hope is already pulling it from the opposite side. "Hey hyung!" he greets, his smile big and wide and shaped like a heart. "How was your day?"

Suga gently pushes his way passed his roommate/best friend/possibly platonic life partner and shrugs his shoulders. "Uneventful, I guess," he answers halfheartedly before unceremoniously dumping his things on the floor. He then slowly lowers himself to the ground as well, back stretched out on the cold floor as he stares up at the ceiling.

J-hope hums in acknowledgement, more than used to Suga's dramatic displays to emphasize his fatigue. He closes the front door of their apartment and locks it before walking up to Suga's prone form to crouch beside him. "Uneventful, huh?" he teases, poking his finger against Suga's rib cage. "You know you can't lie to me, hyung. I can read you like a book," which was unfair honestly but true. J-hope wore his heart on his sleeve and people thought him naive because of it— but if it was easy to read J-hope's emotions, J-hope had a much easier time reading other people. "Wanna tell me what happened?"

"Meauugh," Suga answers smartly. He drags a hand down his face before swatting away at J-hopes fingers.

J-hope laughs without shame as he gets up, standing over Suga in between his spread legs. He reaches down, grabbing at his roommate's hands, and with as much gentle force as he can muster he pulls him up. Not that Suga weighs all that much, but J-hope makes a show of having a difficult time just because he has fun doing it. "C'mon, I'll make you some tea."

Suga lets himself be picked up from the ground and when he's finally back on his own two feet he kicks his bag to the side to tidy up later, and lets J-hope drag them into their small kitchen. "You're gonna give me the really shitty tea, aren't you?" Suga says with a deadpan voice but he sighs because J-hope always knows what he's doing even if at times he seems so air headed.

"It's good for you," J-hope chastises. He pushes Suga to sit at the little table and goes about to making tea.

Their little kitchen is, mildly saying, a mess. It's isn't dirty, Suga makes sure that everything is clean, it's just messy and disorganized. The shelves are filled with J-hope's collection of weird teas he's collected from various places he's visited, as well as mugs obviously bought from souvenir stores. The pots and pans hanging on the wall are hold things inherited from Suga's old home, the bottoms burned black and the metal dull from years of use, but still very much usable. There's not much food in their cupboards or their fridge, but they're usually both out for most of the day anyway and there's a grocery store right across the street.

Their apartment in general is small and messy, but it's home.

"So," J-hope starts as he puts the kettle on. "You went to see him again, didn't you?" and though he has his back turned to Suga, he's grinning wide like he's just discovered a secret.

Suga makes a face that's both skeptical and bemused before he shrugs his shoulders. "It's a little project," he admits.

"A little project, sure," J-hope teases with a dismissive tone as he turns around. He folds his arms over his chest and juts a hip out, his pose screaming that he doesn't believe the bullshit that Suga is trying to feed him. "Little projects don't last this long with you, hyung," he snorts. Suga often comes off as lazy, lethargic, to the people who don't know him well. But J-hope knows that Suga is practical and works fast, likes to think things through first before acting. This is possibly the first time that Suga's ever taken on a "little project" completely on a whim. "I bet this little project is a cute little project, huh?"

Suga frowns deeply at J-hope but the younger man just snickers at him. "Yes," Suga admits petulantly, but adds before J-hope can laugh "but it's not just because he's cute."

"Oh?" J-hope leans forward now, getting right into Suga's personal bubble. He is, perhaps, one of the only people who can get away with that. He seems a little more serious now as he raises a questioning eyebrow.

"I think I'm going to have to bring in the big guns."

"Oh!" J-hope looks surprised. This little project sounds not too little anymore, but J-hope tries to lighten the mood a little bit. He flexes his arm and pulls back his sleeve to show his bicep, nodding at his own muscle appreciatively before dramatically placing a kiss to his shoulder. "These guns are pretty big, huh? Glad to know that you're finally admitting that."

Suga snorts and rolls his eyes. "Sure."

"But anyway," J-hope takes a calmer tone this time, and turns back to the kettle and finally pours some hot water into Suga's favorite mug. The flowery smell of calendula fills the air. He carefully hands the mug over to Suga, and continues to speak. "Does this mean I get to meet him?"

"Yeah," Suga nods, though his gaze is set at the tea before him. He has a scowl now, looking at the floating tea bag in his mug like it has personally offended him. It kind of has, with how it smells. "Try not to freak him out too much," Suga instructs. "That... That thing following him, I'm not sure what it is. It's just... It's just a vague feeling, but I don't think it's dangerous. It's just... Unsettling."

J-hope pours himself a cup of tea as well, because he actually likes how it tastes. "You should've told me sooner. You know this is my specialty, right?"

Suga makes a vague noise of agreement before heaving a deep sigh. He drinks the tea and it tastes bitter and spicy in a way that isn't all that pleasing to him. He would have preferred coffee.

"Oh... Oh I see," J-hope snickers against the lip of his mug. "Wanted to keep him to yourself, eh?"

Suga slaps his knee so hard it stays red for a full hour.


	4. The Journey Is BS, Instant Gratification Is Superior

Jungkook looks down at his notebook, the page filled with scribbles and notes that he'd been writing for nearly the whole morning. He just couldn't get it right despite his best efforts, everything just looked wrong and not good enough. With a heavy sigh he leaned back against his seat and stretched his arms out and above him, his back giving a little pop as he did so. But the chime at the entrance of his little store grabs his attention, and he nearly topples out of his seat in his shock. He stables himself on the counter, and puts on his best customer service face. "Hey, welcome."

Outside is a storm, he didn't even notice, but the two customers standing at the entrance look drenched to the bone. A little pout is on his face as he crosses his arms and leans over his counter. "Don't leave a puddle trail," he tells them.

"Hmmmmm, mmmmmmm," the taller of the customers says loudly, theatrically. Despite the fact he looks like a wet cat, there's a barely concealed grin on his face as he presses two fingers to his temple as he wiggles the fingers of his other hands in the general direction of the counter. "I sense... sadness," he practically gasps out then wiggles his fingers even harder. "And," suddenly all theatrics is gone, replaced instead with the biggest shit eating grin. "The Thirst™ within you."

"Hobi hyung, that's not funny," the young man groans, his face turning a tad bit pink. "If you came here to tease me I will kick you out."

J-hope snickers as he pulls off his pink baseball cap, shaking it off by the door to dry it off as much as he could manage. "No luck with the guy across the street, huh?"

Jungkook sighs deeply again and pulls his glasses off of his face. He looks down at the page of his notebook and tears it out, ripping it to shreds and crumpling it before he drops it in the trash bin by his feet. "How can I even come up with something perfect for someone who's already perfect? I don't think I have a chance at all." He shakes his head and replaces his glasses, and with one final sigh he tries to greet his customers again a little more formally. "Anyway, did you need something? I haven't ordered anything new yet, but I am expecting some packages soon. You guys can have first pick—"

"No, it's alright," the smaller customer dismisses, takes off his beanie to reveal mint green hair. Suga looks tired as he always does, but now he looks annoyed because of how wet the rain has made him. "Just basic shit for now," he walks deeper into the small store, looking through the products to find what he needs.

"You need any help, hyung?" Jungkook calls.

Suga scoffs and waves him off dismissively. "We practically helped you set up this store, I know where what is."

The store is small and dimly lit, even more so now because of the morning rain outside. Little paper cranes made of colored paper and old pages from books hang from the ceiling at various heights, and there were vintage looking posters that hung on every free space on the wall. The walls were lined with shelves, displaying the various products that the store had to offer— from books, to candles, to jars, and other various trinkets. Though the main product that people came in there for were the necklaces and rings and accessories of various colors and sizes. The store was small but it was pretty well located; though there were lulls in the day where Jungkook could catch a few winks of sleep, most people started to drop by when the sun was close to setting.

Jungkook rolls his eyes. If Suga needed help, he'd ask for it he supposes. He turns his attention back to J-hope who is— "HYUNG, DON'T LOOK AT THAT!!" he scrambles to grab his notebook back, but the counter keeps him back and J-hope is holding it way out of his reach. He accepts his fate, however, and sags against the counter and sighs deeply again.

"I really don't think you should be agonizing over this," J-hope tells him, lowering the notebook down now that he knows that Jungkook isn't going to try and snatch it back. He flips through the notebook several times, pausing at a few pages to point out the things that he likes. "It's good, Kookie. It really is!"

"It's good but it's not perfect..." the young man sighs.

J-hope sighs loudly and rolls his eyes, though he places a gentle hand atop of his friend's head and ruffles his hair. "You'll get there, kid. I know you will."

Jungkook makes a sound of disagreement but finally raises his head, leaning a little bit into the touch of his hyung.

The two of them catch up a bit in hushed voices, only dropping their conversation when Suga comes back with a bracelet made of tigers eye around his wrist, a few smudging sticks, a shiny black obsidian stone, and an even tinier moonstone cabochon pendant.

Jungkook rings him up, quietly assessing the items and trying to figure out what Suga was planning to do with them. "What're you up to, hyung?" he asks because he just can't figure it out. With Suga, it was kind of hard to tell what he was thinking.

"A little project," Suga answers simply as he hands over his money. He doesn't bother to elaborate because he has the sinking feeling that J-hope is going to do it for him even if he didn't want to.

"You should be more like Suga hyung," J-hope teases, snickering behind his fingers as Jungkook gives him a questioning look. "Suga's got a crush!" he sings happily, slinging his arm around Suga's shoulders. "I think this is his way of flirting."

"Uuuuuuuuggghhh," Suga sighs loudly but doesn't pull away from J-hope.

"Whoa, really?!" Jungkook looks back into the paper bag filled with Suga's items. "I would've thought you'd gone for a rose quarts. I've got some heart shaped ones, you know. That'd be way cuter."

"You'll understand when you're older," Suga deadpans, but grins widely when Jungkook gives him the look of utter betrayal. He laughs it off, and takes the paper bag from Jungkook before the younger decides to pull it away in spite. "I'll explain later, when I get things under control."

That seems to make Jungkook settle down. "Is it... Difficult, hyung?"

"It's just something I'm not used to," Suga admits. "Don't worry. It will be fine."

"Do you want me to come?" Jungkook offers. "I can close the shop for now—"

"We'll call if we need help," J-hope reassures him. He sounds kinder now, he can see that Jungkook seems rather worried about the whole situation. He reaches over the counter again, grabbing at Jungkook's head to pull him forward. J-hope showers the top of his head with kisses, so many kisses until Jungkook is pushing him away in frustration. "So you better answer your phone in case we call!"

"Okay, if you say so..." Jungkook relents.

Suga and J-hope make their way to the door and before they finally exit J-hope grabs at Suga's wrist, where the tiger's eye bracelet is, and presses two finger tips to his temple again. "And I sense.... Hmmm... I sense happiness coming your way!" he cheers. They both leave before Jungkook can ask what that means, running out into the rain screaming because it got heavier.

 

 

Only a few minutes pass before Jungkook hears really loud knocking at the back door of his store, and a muffled "oi kid let me in! I brought lunch!"

Jungkook grins widely. "Hold on!!!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tags updated as the story goes


	5. He Really Is Cute, But Also What The Fuck

An uneasy feeling settles in the pit of J-hope's stomach, which was not unusual for him for the most part but it rarely ever got to the point where he actually wanted to turn tail and go home. "Oh boy," he wheezes out softly under his breath, wiping the sweat off his hands against his jeans. "Oooh boy."

Suga turns his head to look at him. He hasn't even knocked on Taehyung's door yet and J-hope was already feeling like a bundle of nerves. "Do you think we should have brought Kookie along after all?" He asks, unconsciously holding his hand out towards J-hope. His friend takes it and squeezes, and Suga can feel how cold and clammy his friends hands are. J-hope rarely got nervous about anything anymore, he only did when whatever he was facing was... More.

J-hope flinches suddenly with a yelp escaping him, his body crashing into Suga's. "No!" he says, steadies himself against Suga before standing to his full height. "It's cool, I'm cool. You think I'm not cool?" he asks Suga a little too quickly with a laugh that sounds like its shaking like a leaf on a windy day. But J-hope shakes his head, as if it could clear his mind, and his free hand reaches up to clutch at the amethyst pendant that hung around his neck. "Let's do this."

Suga gives him one more final reassuring squeeze before knocking on the door. They don't have to wait long at all before the door is pulled open to reveal Taehyung's roommate (Suga had forgotten about him), who looks like he's in a hurry. "Hello,"Suga greets.

"Uh, hey...?" Namjoon greets back. Namjoon looks tired, like a zombie really, with the way he's staggering a little to stay standing. He brushes his shirt and pants off really quickly, trying to make himself look a little more presentable, but it doesn't really help. "Sorry, I didn't get to introduce myself last time. I'm Kim Namjoon," he says and holds his hand out for a handshake. Suga takes it, and Namjoon is a little surprised with how strong the other man's grip is. "Tae's talked about you a bit, he said he'd introduce us properly one of these days, but I'm really, really late right now," and he's slipping passed the two strangers at his door and making his way to the elevators. "Next time!" he calls. "Tae's asleep on the couch, go ahead and wake him up!" and like a whirlwind Namjoon is gone.

Which is all the more better, in Suga's opinion. He doesn't want to have to explain what's going on just yet. He tugs on J-hopes hand and leads them into the apartment and the unsettling feeling is there again— it's a little stronger than before, and Suga can't help but frown because he really thought that the smudging stick might've helped even just a little bit.

"Waah! Aaaaagh," J-hope grumbles softly, sticking close to Suga. "It's... Wow, it's really _something_ alright," he tries to sound casual because if he can pretend that everything is fine, maybe everything will be fine. "Anyway," he says, pointing to the couch. "Wake up your sleeping beauty," he genuinely grins at that though, so Suga supposes it's not extremely bad.

"Taehyung ah," Suga calls gently, pulling himself away from J-hope to wake the younger one up. "Did you forget I was coming today?" he shakes Taehyung's shoulder and continues to call out to him gently until finally the younger one wakes up, sits up, and reveals the messiest bed head Suga has ever seen. "Good morning, sunshine," he greets, just as thunder cracks outside.

"Hyung!" Taehyung yelps in shock and stumbles to the ground. He pushes himself up, his ears going a little bit red in embarrassment. "I woke up early to greet you but I guess I fell asleep," he says bashfully.

"It's alright," Suga dismisses. "I brought my friend today, he's gonna help us."

"Is he... Okay?" Taehyung asks carefully.

Suga is mildly perturbed by the question, but when he turns to look at J-hope he understands Taehyung's concern. His best friend is standing near the corner of the room, posture ramrod and stiff as he stares blankly off into space. Before Suga can call out to him J-hope moves again, to a different spot in the room, and he looks around like he's lost in a crowd trying to find an exit. Suga stands then, Taehyung's following behind him and even grabbing at the back of Suga's shirt like a nervous child. Suga makes his way towards J-hope, reaches a hand out to gently pat his friend on the face. "Hobi, hey," he calls gently again, like how he did with Taehyung. "Hobi, come back, yeah?"

J-hope's shakes his head a little and blinks his eyes slowly, like he'd just woken up from a power nap. His eyes dart back and forth for a bit before settling on Suga's face— but his gaze doesn't stay there long because he's looking passed Suga, and even passed Taehyung, and his eyes can't seem to focus. "I see it," he whispers softly. "But it's..." he closes his eyes tight for a few seconds, and tries to focus again. "I see it, but I don't think it wants to be seen..."

Suga feels Taehyung shuffle closer. "What?"

Whatever trance J-hope was in, he quickly snaps himself out of it. He literally shakes his whole body, like he does when he's warming up for dance practice, and tries to smile at both of them like everything is fine. "Can we sit down?" he asks, already walking towards the couch. "You guys better sit down too, I think I'm starting to understand what's going on here."

Suga and Taehyung share a look before following, and Taehyung takes a seat at the coffee table like he usually does and Suga occupies the space next to him. "So what's going on?"

"What did you see last time, hyung?" J-hope asks Suga, his face looking serious. "Describe it to me."

Suga recalls the night he first met Taehyung. He wasn't really keen on sensing things, that was more of J-hope's specialty, but when Taehyung walked into the convenience store that night he felt a shiver run down his spine. It felt like the air in the room got thinner too, and colder, and he remembers seeing... Something following Taehyung from behind. "It's hard to describe," he says after a while of trying to pick the right words. "I felt in my gut that it was supposed to be human," he starts slowly, "but every time I try to look at it, I just get a blur, and my brain tries to fill in the spaces that my eyes can't see."

J-hope nods at his words agitatedly. "Yeah, that's what it looks like to me too." He looks at Taehyung this time, and sees the worry and concern and fear on his face, so he tries to school his expression into something more amicable. "Oh, but, it's not bad! Suga's right when he says it isn't dangerous."

"That... That's good. But what is it?" Taehyung asks. He bites at his nails.

"Hmmm," J-hope leans forwards, his elbow on his knee and his chin rested on his fist as he tries to think of how to explain it in an easy way. "It's not dangerous, but the thing that Suga didn't notice was that it's not alone."

If the air felt cold then, it felt even colder now.

Taehyung gulps audibly. Suga wishes J-hope could have said it in a less cryptic way.

"You know how when you're a kid and you have a new game on your gameboy or something?" J-hope asks seemingly out of nowhere. When Taehyung nods his head, he continues. "That thing following you? It's like you're the new game and it's just... _Watching you_ , waiting to see what happens." He makes wide gestures with his arms as he explains. "And you know how kids are, when they see something new they like to crowd around and see what's going on."

"What I mean to say is whatever it is that's following you, it's attracting other things to you too," J-hope concludes. "It's not evil, or mischievous, it's just... _Curious._ "

Suga breathes in a sigh of relief. That means the reason J-hope seemed so agitated was because of the mass of spirits or energies that surrounded Kim Taehyung, rather than a single dangerous being. "That's good."

"I think the smudging you did was a good idea," J-hope tells Suga. "But this kid's still kind of a magnet right now." He looks at Taehyung again and grins widely, and this time it looks comforting. "I bet'cha been feeling really tired lately, huh?"

Taehyung nods slowly, feeling more at ease now that he kind of knew what they were dealing with. "I'm always tired," he confesses with a tiny frown. "I always just thought it was a normal thing, what with school and late nights and all that..."

"I'm willing to bet that your roommate, Namjoon, has been feeling tired lately too." J-hope stands and moves to Suga, digging his hands into his hyung's bag without even asking first. He brings out the smudging sticks that they got earlier, glad they didn't get soaked by the rain, and hands the other one to Suga. "Doing this for now can help," he tells them. "That thing," he points behind Taehyung, "Is curious but shy. I think it'll take a bit of time for it to get comfortable around us, especially now since it knows we can see it."

And J-hope gets to work after lighting his smudging stick, walking into the rooms of the apartment to spread the smoke around. He even dances as he does it, shaking his hips and moving his hands in a way that is ridiculous but entertaining. It draws a smile and a laugh from Taehyung, and Suga has never been more thankful for J-hope's weird need to be dancing at almost all times.

Before he can get started on helping J-hope though, Suga pulls out the obsidian stone he'd bought from Jungkook's little store. He presses it into the palm of Taehyung's hand and smiles softly. "I got this for you," he mutters quietly, hoping that J-hope is too busy to notice the exchange. "It should help, with making you feel less tired," he explains. And as Taehyung examines the pretty stone, Suga pulls out the moonstone cabochon too, which he had quickly fashioned into a dangling earring. For some reason, he thought it'd suit Taehyung. "This too, it'll keep you safe."

Taehyung takes the gift gingerly in his hands, looking at it like its a precious gem. Technically it is, but Taehyung feels that it's special because Suga got it for him. He can't stop the fluttering feeling in his chest, but he doesn't mind it since it makes him smile widely. If his cheeks had gone warm, he doesn't notice. "Thank you, hyung. I'll treasure it."

Suga smiles back at him, wide and gummy and sincere. Taehyung wishes he could take a picture.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> does this have a plot lol idk maybe i really dont know what im doing but i hope yall are having fun :^)


	6. Brother Figure? More Like A Bother Figure

"Ahhhhhhh...."

Jennie looked up from the dough she was kneading, her hair held back by a pony tail and a headband and her cheeks and the tip of her nose dusted with flour. With a loud _plomph_ , she slams the dough onto the marble counter, startling the man in the same room with her. "What's wrong, oppa? You've been sighing all day."

The rain outside continues to pour. It had been raining for several days straight now, and Jennie thinks that maybe the weather is affecting his mood. She doesn't tell him that though, because she knows that he likes to be a drama queen if given the opportunity to. Their little restaurant is dim and a little chilly, empty save for the few people who ordered warm drinks while they waited for the rain to stop. It's pretty quiet.

Seok-jin sighs deeply again and makes his way over to her, to watch her knead the dough to distract himself. The repetitive movement of her hands is a little soothing, and he's always found baking interesting but he's never really been good at it. "I'm just worried about the kid next door," he tells her, arms folded atop the marble counter across her, but far enough so that he didn't get flour on his apron.

"You mean Kookie?" She quite liked the kid next door. He was sweet and kind, and he never failed to compliment the pastries she made even if they turned out looking ugly. He was usually their test subject whenever they were trying to make new items for their menu, but Jungkook ate just about anything, and like just about anything. Still, she could understand why Seok-jin was worried. Jungkook was tall and proved to be rather muscular, but with the way he acted and the way he presented himself, it made it so easy to want to look after him. "Did something happen?"

"No, not really..." Seok-jin sighs. He absentmindedly draws a fluffy looking alpaca into the flour that's dusting the counter as he continues to talk. "It's just that, I think he's been hanging around some pretty shady looking people lately..." A little man with eyes that look like slits from a knife and a frown to scare kids of all ages, and guy who was so loud when he spoke he probably got into fights without actually meaning to.

Jennie gives him a pout and raises her eyebrow at him as she rolls out the dough one more time before setting aside in a prepared bowl to let it sit and rise. Wiping her hands on her apron, she tilts her head in quiet accusation. "You said the same thing about Jimin-ssi, and you were very wrong about that," she tells him. "Just because he has all those tattoos. Sometimes, you're really old fashioned, you know?"

Seok-jin can't really complain or say anything in return. He was absolutely wrong about Park Jimin, because Park Jimin happens to be one of the sweetest, nicest, cutest people he knows. Even if said Park Jimin has a mischievous streak in him. "I guess so... But..."

"Kookie can make his own friends without you interrogating them first," she laughs, swipes her finger across the counter to pick up some flour, before tapping at his nose playfully. "Stop babying him, he's a clever kid despite everything."

"Aaaaaaaugh," Seok-jin swats playfully at her hands, and they spend a short moment slapping at each other like they're grade schoolers. "I know, I know," he says when they finally put their hands down to be proper young adults again. "But he came to the city all alone, to run a little store by himself. I can't help it, I just want to make sure he's okay." And Seok-jin still wonders if Jungkook came here of his own accord, or if his family had forced him to move. He hasn't known Jungkook all that long, so he doesn't pry at matters that seem private. The most he can do is fuss and worry from afar. "He doesn't even have staff! He mans that place all by himself!"

"Isn't he lucky that we're here to help him then?" Jennie tells him with a smile, and though Seok-jin is quite a bit taller than her, and though his shoulders are so broad, she manages to sling her arm around him in a half hug. "In the worse case scenario, we can always just... I dunno, adopt him or something."

Seok-jin snorts at that, because it's such a funny thing to imagine. But he thinks that if that really were the case, he wouldn't hesitate to take Jungkook in. In fact, he's been tempted for a while now to ask Jungkook to move in with them, he doesn't like thinking about Jungkook all alone in a quiet apartment. It doesn't matter that his and Jennie's apartment is small, they could make room for him, he wouldn't mind. "I guess..."

"It's cute that you've got such a soft spot for him," Jennie says, shakes him a little bit with affection in her tone, before finally letting go.

He sighs deeply and dramatically, moving out of the kitchen to drape himself over the front counter next to the cash register. "That boy is too charming for his own good!" He doesn't care that their customers are starting at him. Jungkook was going to be the end of him, and the boy doesn't even know.

 

Meanwhile, in the store next door, Jungkook nearly falls off the chair he was standing on in his attempt to decorate the upper parts of the wall of his store with fairy lights. For some reason, he's not quite sure, he feels like someone is talking about him behind his back. With a little put off "hmph," he gets back to work and hopes whoever it is thinking badly of him trips on their shoelaces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love,, ,, blackpink , , ,,
> 
> i couldnt fit in in there but jennie and seok-jin are cousins in this AU


	7. It's Like That One Movie, But A Lot Less Dying

Things around Taehyung have been a lot less bleak nowadays. Despite the fact that he hasn't seen clear skies in a week and more, he feels a little lighter and a lot more energetic. There are times when his mood lulls to a low, but lately he's been better. In fact, the mood in the apartment has gotten a lot better ever since Suga and J-hope did their thing, and continue to do their thing. They've left gifts for him too, to keep his place feeling nicer while they're not around, like that weird salt lamp that now stays in the small living room, right next to the relatively big ass amethyst cluster. The cupboards in the kitchen now have some teas in them too, teas that J-hope insists are delicious but Suga makes a face every time they're mentioned.

Namjoon is in and out of the apartment, busy with school and his own personal projects. But he always notices the new things in their home, and though he questioned it at first he didn't really mind it all that much anymore. To begin with, Taehyung's always been anyway, so finding weird stuff at home is something he's used to.

"It's like they live here," Namjoon tells Taehyung, but he doesn't particularly sound upset about it. He's got a laugh in his smile as he sits down. "It feels kinda home-y, every time I come back. It's nice."

Taehyung grins at him, because he feels the same way. Though Suga and J-hope have busy lives as well, they make time for him when they can, determined to help him get rid of whatever it was that was sticking to him like glue. He thinks that whatever it is they're doing is working, because he's never felt so light in a long time. He can't remember the last time he's woken up early on his own, instead of to the annoyingly loud ringtone of his phone. It's only been a month since his fateful meeting with Suga at the convenience store, and he cant help but squirm in his seat giddily. He's so, so glad that Suga had approached him that night.

"You know though," Namjoon interrupts, putting his cup of tea down (he's been consuming J-hope's tea, he actually likes it and Taehyung's a little surprised). "You still haven't introduced us."

"I haven't?" He's surprised but when he thinks of all the days before the present, he realizes that yes, the four of them have never been in one room all at once at the same time. At least, not for more than a few seconds. "It kind of feels like I have though... Sorry hyung."

Namjoon looks around their home that has little bits of Suga and J-hope scattered around; the weird rocks and candles, a jacket that apparently J-hope had forgotten and keeps forgetting about, a book that looked so loved and worn that Suga lent to Taehyung, several post it notes from J-hope greeting Namjoon, one of Suga's hats, and then some. Through the things that the other two have left behind, and the way Taehyung talks about them so enthusiastically, he can kind of piece together what kind of people they could be. "It's cool," he says after a short moment of contemplation. "Sometimes it feels like I already know them."

"Tell me when you're free!!" Taehyung says suddenly, jumping up from his seat on the couch only to bounce on it as if it were a trampoline. "I can schedule a date or something!"

Namjoon snorts, but he nods his head. It was about time he met the two strangers who are sort of not strangers anymore. He hands Taehyung his planner, and they talk about what the four of them could possibly do.

 

 

At some other place in the city, Suga feels like absolute horse shit and he's dreading the moment he has to clock in for work. He doesn't usually mind his work, its not bad being the night shift barista, but he just doesn't feel like going today. He could always call in sick and ask someone else to fill in for him, but he doesn't want that either because he kinda needs that money.

Fuck capitalism.

He rolls around in his bed and pulls the sheets closer to himself. It's cold and his body feels heavy, and he really wishes J-hope comes back home soon. Suga doesn't even know how Taehyung's put up with this presence for so fucking long. To the empty room, he asks "can't you go around a bit?" Only silence greets him but he keeps talking anyway. "Go for a ghost walk or something, there's a park two blocks away from here." He would feel stupid for talking to thin air, but he knows that its there listening to him.

Despite their best efforts, they couldn't get the presence to go away. But with how often they've gone to visit Taehyung and hang out with him, it's become comfortable around them. Comfortable enough to sometimes leave Taehyung alone and follow them instead. It still doesn't do anything but watch and follow, but it still draws in other creatures that grow curious as well.

Suga brings his wrist to his face, pressing the tiger's eye bracelet to his lips. Aside from Taehyung's ghostly friend (who J-hope has lovingly called Bobbert) there are maybe three more others in the room with him, watching and waiting. They don't do anything, they're not powerful enough to interact with his plane of existence, they just pace around his room like tourists at a museum admiring the artwork.

Spirits, presences, he doesn't really know what to call them at this point, leave when they get bored. Suga thinks that if he keeps perfectly still, they'll go away. And eventually they do, but Bobbert is still there and when the three others finally leave two more come, and then another four do too. The more spirits that arrive the heavier the room feels, and though Suga wishes he could sleep until they leave he can't because they keep him agitated and anxious and elevate his paranoia even though he knows they're all harmless.

He groans. Really, what the fuck. How did Taehyung live all these years feeling like this?

"J-hooooooooope," he groans into the room again. "Jesus Christ, come home already."

He is genuinely surprised when he hears a knock at the door. But then he remembers 1) J-hope has a key and 2) J-hope is a lot louder when he comes home.

Another hesitant knock snaps Suga out of his thoughts and he grabs a hoodie at the edge of his bed and slips it on, and hisses when his feet touch the cold floor. He rubs at his arms and slowly makes his way to the door, opening it to reveal a wide eyed Jungkook. "Hey," Suga greets, stepping aside to let the kid in.

"Seok-jin Hyung made some food for me to share," Jungkook informs him, leaving Suga at the door so he can bring the still warm containers of food into the small kitchen. As he starts divvying up the food between the two of them and setting aside some portions for J-hope, he frowns. He looks up from his hands, and then around the room, and then to Suga who's closing the front door and making his way towards him. "There's something not right..."

"It's... Yeah, there's... I guess we forgot to update you," Suga gives his maknae a sheepish shrug. They take their food and sit at the small dining table and Suga fills him in.

"So Bobbert's in here right now?" Jungkook asks in awe.

"Don't call it Bobbert too..."

Jungkook shrugs his shoulders then looks around. He can sense them, but probably not as intensely as Suga or J-hope. For him it's a flickering feeling: one moment it's cold and a little hard to breathe, and then suddenly it's perfectly normal again. It's a little disorienting if he has to be honest. "So what do you guys plan on doing now?"

Suga wiggles his hand at him vaguely. "I'm reading into some stuff right now," he says. "I'm pretty sure I'm going to need your help with it though, so be ready for that."

Jungkook's face lights up like New Years day. "Oh, this is gonna be so cool," he mutters around a mouthful of noodles.

"You doing okay though?" Suga asks because even though Jungkook looks excited to be included in the action, he's also starting to look a little pale. Jungkook's always surrounded by so many gems and trinkets that keep these sorts of energies away, so maybe he isn't used to so many beings in the same room all at once.

"H-huh? Yeah," the younger man nods. "It's just really cold, y'know," he looks out the window at the rain, and then around the room where the spirits wander around.

The cold feeling is never like a breeze. It always feels like sitting in an ice bath, chilling to the bone, and it doesn't leave immediately even after an encounter. "I'll make some tea for you," he announces, going to J-hope's tea cupboard to look for something appropriate.

"Something that tastes good please..."

Suga snorts, and settles with peach tea. He prepares a thermos of it, for Jungkook to bring with him because the kid still has to get back to his store soon, and gives him two heatpackets that they have lying around even though its no where near winter yet. He even slots one of his beanies onto Jungkook's head, and he would have added a scarf too if Jungkook didn't stop him.

"I'm fine, okay!" Jungkook huffs. "Stop fussing!"

Suga shrugs as he walks his young friend to the door. "You gave me free lunch, I make sure you're warm. It's only fair. You're lucky J-hope isn't here yet, he would've done that kissy thing he likes to do so much."

Jungkook's face pinches at that. He loves and appreciates the affection that J-hope showers him with but sometimes its a little embarrassing. "Fine," he relents. He waves at Suga as he leaves, but he remembers something that he had to do. "Ah, Suga hyung?"

Suga leans against the door frame to his apartment. "What? Do you want a kiss after all?"

"No!" Jungkook yelps. "It's just that... Seok-jin hyung wants to meet you guys."

Suga raises his eyebrow at that. Seok-jin, the guy that works in the cafe next to Jungkook's store. Tall, handsome, really wide shoulders. "Does he?"

"He thinks you guys are a bad influence," Jungkook snorts at that, and can't help but laugh.

"Is he your mother?"

"That's what I said!!!" Jungkook exclaims in exasperation. "But he wont stop talking about it and it's kind of getting annoying so I told him I'd let him meet you guys so he can see you're not, I dunno, evil."

"Yeah, yeah. Just give us a time and date or whatever. Now shoo, don't keep your store closed for so long you brat."

 

 

The little bell at the entrance rings, and Seok-jin smiles wide for his customer. Only to drop it immediately when he realizes that it's just Jungkook. "Did you finish the food?"

"I did!" Jungkook says happily, depositing the food containers into Seok-jin's arms. "It was really good. Thank you, hyung."

Seok-jin grins. This kid could really be cute when he wanted to be. He scoffs and pats the top of Jungkook's head affectionately, making his way back into the kitchen to wash everything up. Rush hour was done and over with, and Jennie's out back taking a break leaving him to do all the dishes.

Jungkook follows behind him like a puppy, but he makes no move to assist with the clean up. "I'm going to let you meet Suga hyung and Hobi hyung," Jungkook tells him, pulling himself up onto the counter. He doesn't get to sit there for very long though, because Seok-jin is already swatting him with a dish cloth.

"Help dry the dishes, you brat," he says with a huff as he rolls his sleeves up, and finally starts with the dishes. "I was going to meet them anyway, even without your permission."

Jungkook frowns at his hyung's words, but he still takes the wet dish that Seok-jin gives him and he dutifuly dries it with a clean dish cloth. "How would you even find them? You know nothing about them."

"I have my ways," Seok-jin says flippantly. "Tell them they can come over here for dinner, my treat and everything."

"Really?" And Jungkook's frown is upside down instantly. "You can't take that back."

"It'll be free if I like them."

"Auuuuughhhhh!!!!!!!!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow jungkook why do you get three older brothers and an older sister
> 
> also i realize the scene from chapter 2 with namjoon asking if its weed is like this [this meme](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/115/028/139.png).
> 
> anyway this thing is updating really regularly, and honestly this is just a fic im writing for myself but im glad if people are enjoying it too :^)


	8. When It Rains It Pours, But I'm Happy

When Suga meets up with Taehyung, the big boxy smile that he's greeted with makes his heart swell a little bit. People usually found him intimidating, so it's a nice change to be greeted so warmly even though Suga's pretty sure he looks like death didn't want to stop bother all night. Despite his fatigue though, Suga can't help but return the smile with one of his own. "Hey."

"Hello hyung!" Taehyung greets cheerily, practically bouncing his way towards Suga. He would have enveloped the other man in a hug, but Taehyung's not really sure where they stand yet in regards to skinship. He doesn't want to overstep his boundaries, the last thing he wants to do is upset Suga so instead he settles with grabbing the older man's hands in his own, shaking them back and forth in an attempt to wake Suga up a little more because he looks so sleepy. "How was your day? Do you want to get some coffee or something?" And though he's really trying his best not to be too touchy, he ends up brushing his hand against Suga's temple to swipe away the hair that's falling into his eyes.

"I think I've had enough coffee," Suga tells him with a yawn, and doesn't pull away from Taehyung's touch. He finds it odd, really, that he doesn't mind the younger man's touches. They haven't even been friends for a year yet, but it feels like they've known each other all their lives. It's so odd to think that, especially since Suga doesn't even know much about Taehyung yet, and the other way around. It's a comfortable friendship, he never feels pressured to reveal too much about himself, and he doesn't mind when sometimes Taehyung talks his ear off about the stars or the moon or the possibility of intelligence beyond the milky way. "Did you just finish class?"

"Finished finals!" Taehyung cheers, letting go of his hold on Suga to do a happy little dance. Ever since Suga and J-hope's help, he's finally been able to study properly, and information finally stuck to him effortlessly like how it used to when he was younger. Studying feels fun again, and for the first time in a while he's poured over his textbooks all night long till he lost sleep but he feels like he could read a dozen more. There is so much to learn, and he finally has the energy to do it— except now, he kind of feels the fatigue that he knows now isn't because of his lack of sleep. The spirit, the thing that J-hope calls Bobbert, is probably there with them now. He doesn't want to think about it too much. "I'm pretty sure I aced my tests!"

"Yeah?" Suga asks and reaches for his hand, and Taehyung gives it up easily. "That's good. Maybe hyung should treat you to dinner to congratulate you." And when Taehyung grins at him with appreciation and glee, Suga can't help but squeeze his hand. "Anything you want."

Taehyung pulls them away from the front of his university, swinging their hands between them. He leads him to the park as he contemplates what he wants and though it's silent between them it isn't uncomfortable. When he turns his head to catch a glimpse of Suga's face, his hyung is actually walking with his eyes closed, completely trusting Taehyung to lead the way to wherever it was he wanted to go. It makes him smile. "Hyung, I really like japchae," he starts slowly, watching Suga's face for a reaction.

"Mmm, do you know good places to get it?"

Taehyung turns his head away at the question and looks up at the sky. There is no rain today, but the clouds look heavy and ready to let out their tears. He tugs a little more urgently at Suga's hand and picks up the pace a little bit. "Do you know how to make it?"

Suga opens his eyes at that, and picks up his own pace so that he's walking next to Taehyung instead of being dragged around by him. "Yeah, I suppose I do," he answers slowly, raising an eyebrow, not quite sure what to expect.

"Then can you make some for me?" Taehyung asks, and then pack pedals a bit and tries to reword his request. "U-uh! I just, Namjoon hyung and I aren't really that good in the kitchen," he tries to explain, his free hand gesticulating his words with big motions. "And I think that, as growing boys, we should probably be eating better or something. Well, we should at least be eating more than convenience store foods." He folds into himself sheepishly, and feels the blush crawling up his neck.

But Suga doesn't scold him for sounding like he was being disrespectful, instead he laughs and takes the lead now. He pulls Taehyung towards the grocery store that he knows is nearby, and looks at his friend with a teasing but fond smirk. "I'll teach you," he tells Taehyung. "We can start with the easy stuff."

Though the skies are gray, Taehyung's smile is like sunshine.

 

 

Jungkook doesn't usually frequent this side of the city, it was a little bit too far from his own little shop, but he was on a mission. Suga had finally asked him for help, and though his hyung had told him that there was no rush Jungkook closed shop for the day to get the things that Suga needed.

The young boy pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, a nervous habit, and tugged at the straps of his backpack. He stood in front of a peculiar looking cafe— the building looked as if it was growing out of the ground, only to stop halfway and at an angle. There was barely any concrete around, just walls of clear glass that let the people passing by see what it looked like from the inside. In a way, it reminded him of a glasshouse, especially with the lights that looked like blooming flowers that hung from the ceiling.

The cafe was famous for a variety of reasons. Aside from the good food and the unique atmosphere, it was also a secret little bookstore, for the people who knew what they were looking for. People like Jungkook, people like Suga and J-hope, knew that it was more than just a cafe.

It also happened to be the cafe that the person he idolized owned.

Jungkook gulped and walked in. When he was greeted by the waitress at the entrance, he smiled a little bit at her and asked for the bookstore. When recognition flashed in her eyes, she smiled warmly at him and lead him to the back room as discreetly as possible. She opened the door and held it open for him, giving him another kind smile when she noticed his hesitation. "Just follow the stairs," she instructed, and when Jungkook still shuffled around nervously she gave his back a gentle push. "Go on, there's nothing to be scared of."

"I'm just a little nervous," Jungkook said sheepishly, giving her a shaky smile.

The waitress gives him a knowing grin, looks around at the cafe floor for a bit to make sure they're not being watched by curious eyes. When she decides that they're safe, she keeps the bookstore's door open with her hip and folds her arms over her chest with a charming little smile on her face. "I'm guessing you're a fan of G Dragon?"

Jungkook's whole face is bright red, but he can't even deny this fact at all. "Y-yeah," he nods enthusiastically. "Is he, uh, in?"

She chuckles at him and nods as well. "You just caught him, usually he's out being a busy body," she tells him. "Lucky one, aren't ya?"

Jungkook feels butterflies in his stomach. It's both a good feeling but also makes him want to puke.

"Go on, go on," she urges, pushing at him again until he finally takes the first step down the spiral staircase. "Sometimes he looks intimidating but he's a really nice guy." And with a final wave and an encouraging grin, she leaves Jungkook alone with the door clicking softly behind her.

He takes a breath to steady himself, his hand unconsciously clutching at the amethyst pendant around his neck.

The staircase is long and goes down for what feels like hours. At first there were weird pieces of art that hung on the walls, but the more he walked the more he started to notice how alive the place felt. Vines were curling around the railings, crawling up the walls, and the deeper he got the thicker the greenery became until there were no more walls to look at. And when he finally reached the bookstore, it felt more like walking into a garden. It felt like a dream, like walking into the pages of the Alice in Wonderland book.

The walls are still covered in vines and greenery, and when Jungkook takes a good look he can see that the flowers that dot the walls are actually glowing, providing dim light in the otherwise dark room. The bookshelves are so tall that they touch the ceiling and he cant help but let his gaze roam around as he takes in the wondrous place. He's only ever heard of this place through private online forums, pictures weren't allowed in this place, and people respected G Dragon so much that no one ever dared to leak images out. He lets a low whistle out.

He's so impressed with the place that he doesn't notice his idol staring at him too, an amused smile on his face. "Your first time here?" G Dragon asks, closing the book in his hands. The man smiles brightly at Jungkook's surprised little jump.

"Y-yeah! Oh wow, I can't believe, oh man, oh man," Jungkook talks without taking a breath, his face flushing. He was in awe, starstruck, and he felt like he was rooted to the spot as _The_ G Dragon started walking towards him. He looks down at his feet and wonders if the vines had crawled around his ankles to trap him, but only flowers bloom at his feet like they were welcoming him. "It's such an honor to meet you, uh, sir!"

G Dragon waves his hands and stops in front of Jungkook at a polite distance. "You don't have to be so formal you know," the way he talks is quiet but strong, calm and pleasing, and he sounds so humble. "How can I help you?"

Jungkook wipes his hands on his pants, hoping to get all the sweat off (damn his nervous sweating!) before stretching his hand out. "I'm Jungkook," he introduces himself. "I'm a really big fan, and I've read so much about you and—" he takes a deep breath again, and he's so thankful that G Dragon looks on at him patiently instead of annoyed. "And uh, well okay. I didn't come here to fanboy about how amazing you are, and you are you know, but I'm looking for some books that could help me out." He didn't want to outright say what his true intentions are, fearing that his idol might discourage him from pursuing the knowledge. "I want to delve into divination."

G Dragon looks at him pensively but it doesn't last very long before he starts walking towards the aisle that held the books Jungkook would find relevant. "Do you have specific titles in mind?"

Jungkook remembers how to walk and catches up with him. "Uh, no! Not really, I just want to learn the basics of it first," he explains. "I practice with runes and crystals, but I've never really tried using them for divination," he tells him, still kind of at awe at the fact that he's talking so freely with his idol. "I've never really been good at it, eomma always scolded me cause I could never really focus. But I want to give it another try."

And G Dragon smiles at him happily, like he's genuinely glad to hear this. "It's good that you're enthusiastic," he tells him. When they finally reach the aisle with the books Jungkook will need, G Dragon is already pulling a few out from the bookshelf to stack onto Jungkook's arms. He includes a few books with general information about divination, the history around it, and then several more that make use of runes as it's main tool. "If there are things that you don't understand, you can just come back and ask me and I'll help out if I can."

Jungkook can't help but wonder if G Dragon offers this kind of kindness to all his patrons. He wonders how his idol has the energy for all of that, plus all the other side jobs that he's taken up both in the magical and non-magical worlds.

G Dragon pulls out a pen and scribbles his number into Jungkook's arm. "Just send me a message, so you know if I'm in or not."

Jungkook's eyes are wide, blinking at the number on his arm and at the man who'd written it there. He can hardly believe his luck. Maybe this is all a dream.

G Dragon leads him to the check out area, where a lone person mans the cash register.

The cashier was a young looking man who smiled brightly as they approached. His hair was bleached white, but his black roots were beginning to peek out. "Hello!" he greets, his voice deeper than what Jungkook was expecting considering the other man had a relatively cute face: squishy looking cheeks and big wide eyes, and a smile that could put the moon's light to shame.

"This is Mir," G Dragon introduces. "If I'm not here and you really need help, you can ask him for help too."

"Oh?" Mir tilts his head at this, leans over the counter to take the books from Jungkook's arms. He starts adding the numbers up, but he's continuing the conversation. "Are you taking another student under your wing, hyung?" Mir asks with a small grin. "And here I thought I was gonna be your last."

Jungkook feels like the air has been punched from his lungs, his eyes wide and locked onto G Dragon's back. He's heard that G Dragon takes in students, but it was rare that he did.

G Dragon shrugs his shoulders, his hands shoved into his pockets in a way that almost looked timid. "Just helping him out," he explains with a grin.

"You're a big softy, hyung," Mir cackles, and cackles even louder at the pout that G Dragon sends his way. He turns his attention away from his hyung to the newcomer, a big smile on his face. "But yeah! I'm here all week, all day, so you can drop by any time to see me!" he informs Jungkook. "What was your name again?"

"Jungkook," the boy blurts out. "Th-thanks so much!"

"No need for thanks," Mir tells him as he hands over Jungkook's books in a paper bag.

"He's right," G Dragon adds, and pats Jungkook on the back. "After all, we have to look out for each other, you know?"

And Jungkook feels charged at that moment, looking back and forth at both of them with a feeling in his chest that he can only describe as gratitude. He'd always thought he would be moving to the big bad city, thought that he'd come crawling back home in tears, but instead he feels like he's finding family in every corner that he dared to look. His mother always did tell him he was a lucky boy, her golden boy.

His mother always told him, too, that threes were always good.

After chatting for a few more minutes that turned out to be hours, Jungkook leaves after Mir writes his number down for him too. He feels light, and like he can take on whatever the world throws at him. He throws his hands up in the air as he jumps, unable to stop the glee that's coursing through his body. "YES!!!" he yells at the gray clouds. And even though the rain starts pouring down after that, his smile doesn't leave his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Golden Maknae makes his appearance and charms everyone around him without meaning to
> 
> also lmao i just,, , who doesn't love g dragon??  
> and huhu mblaq was my first kpop group so i have to include them :^(


	9. Four Hours And Thirty-Six Minutes

Taehyung dreams.

He dreams of warm sunlight on his skin, of the fresh air of the country side that he's grown to miss. In his dream, he is seven years old again, and in his dreams he plays with kids that look familiar but he can't put a name to. But when you're a kid, it doesn't really matter if you know the names of your playmates, all that matters is that you're running around and having fun, playing freeze tag or hide and seek, catching bugs or playing in the mud.

It's all fun and games.

But the dream shifts, so subtly that he doesn't even notice. He is no longer himself, instead he is Suga. Or at least, for a short moment he thinks he is Suga before he realizes that he's watching Suga like a spectator watching T.V. He's not sure how he knows that the young boy he's watching is his friend, but he's certain that it is. The gummy smile that appears on his face when a friend calls for him is the only confirmation that he needs.

And the dream continues as it began, with children playing and running and having fun. It's a nice dream to have, especially since he's almost forgotten what it's like to live life without a care in the world.

Young Suga is running and running and running, looking behind his back to make sure that he isn't being followed. His running slows down to a walk and things start to change a little bit from there. With each step that Suga takes, the sunlight gets dimmer and the feeling of dread is starting to pool in Taehyung's stomach. He tries to call out to young Suga, to tell him to turn around, but the boy doesn't hear him and just keeps walking farther away until he's at the edge of a forest.

Suddenly he isn't watching anymore, suddenly he is his younger self again, standing where Suga was and staring at the forest and its looming trees. He tells himself not to go in, that it's dangerous in there. His grandmother had always warned him about the forest, to never stray too far. But part of him, the dream part of him, is courageous and daring, determined to win the game of hide and seek that the other children had instigated.

Taehyung is watching again, watching as his younger self grins widely like he's already won the game. He watches his younger self step into the forest and no matter how loudly he screams and tries to reach for him he can't do anything.

The world shifts far too quickly for Taehyung to remember. The world is no longer warm or bright and he is cold, cold, cold. He shivers and rubs his arms, and realizes that he's lost. He's lost but he knows that he's in the forest from before.

 _It's a dream, it's a dream_ , he tells himself. J-hope has told him about this before in passing. Lucid dreaming. Once you realize you're dreaming, you gain control of yourself in the dream, you can shift the world however you wanted. He tries making the world look a little less blue, a little more yellow and welcoming, but it stays the same. The dread in his stomach grows, and he feels the chill more now because of the anxiety that's beginning to prickle at his skin. He's grasping at straws, trying to remember what else J-hope has told him about dreaming, but its like wading through a swamp that's dense and thick.

He can't see anything but the forest.

But then he hears it, quiet sniffling, a little sob. He doesn't recognize who it belongs to but for some reason he knows that it belongs to Suga. It pulls at his heartstrings and all he wants to do is find the small kid and hold him close, and tell him that it's going to be okay even though he's not certain that it will be. He forgets that he's dreaming, falls deeper into the world of his subconscious, as he pushes through bushes and ducks under branches. He calls out for Suga as loud as he can, but for some reason he can't hear his own voice.

And then he's Suga again, or maybe just watching the world from young Suga's eyes. He's alone and he's scared and he's so cold. He doesn't know who to call out to, like he can't remember any names of anyone at all, and all he can do is cry and hope that someone comes to get him. The forest is huge, and all the trees look the same. Young Suga tries to be smart about things even though he's scared, and he remembers the words his father once told him when he was much younger: _if you get lost stay put, and we will find you_. So he stays, and he waits, for his family to find him.

Taehyung doesn't like the idea of Suga staying put, it feels like Suga is just sitting there waiting for death. The dread only grows. But after what feels like a long time he hears something new, and the closer the sound gets the warmer it feels. Young Suga looks up, his face wet with tears and his nose red from all the crying and from the cold. It's a voice, it's calling out to him, and Suga can't help the relieved sob that shakes his body.

It's a boy that breaks through the thicket, a boy covered in cuts and scrapes and dirt all over. But sunlight follows him, illuminates his back like he's some sort of angel. And his eyes too are wet with tears, and he starts sobbing his heart out when he finally sees Suga. Though it's a struggle the boy manages to get himself to talk and his voice is loud and clear and shaky. "I found you!" he says through his tears, but he holds out his hand and he offers a smile that looks so familiar.

Taehyung realizes he's looking at J-hope now, and he's never felt so relieved to see him. He's not sure if his feelings belong to himself or if they belong to the younger Suga who reaches out desperately for his hand.

 

 

Taehyung jolts awake and struggles against his sheets, but when he finally breaks free he's gulping air greedily like a man who'd been drowning. He's clutching at his sheets trying to make sense of things. It's dark but the city lights from outside illuminate his room enough that he can make out the vague state of his room: little figurines line the edge of his small study desk, his textbooks are scattered on the floor where he had left them before sleep claimed him. He's awake, and he's in his room, and he is fine.

He scrambles to the end of his bed, reaching out towards his study desk to grab the little obsidian stone that Suga had given him so many weeks ago. It became a comfort item to him without him realizing it and he clutches it to his heart, trying to ease the residual anxiety that he still felt from the dream. He crawls back under the sheets and he can't help the sob that escapes him. The sob turns to crying, but he's not sure why. The dream is slowly slipping away from him, and all he can remember from is is the fear, and the cold, and feeling so, so alone.

After he manages to calm himself down, he lets his head fall back to the pillow. He's not sure if he can go back to sleep, but the sudden urge to see Suga is strong and he can't stop himself from reaching for his phone and dialing his hyung's number. It's three in the morning, and Taehyung thinks as the phone starts to ring, that maybe it's not exactly the best time to be calling even though he knows that Suga is awake and working at his shift at the coffee shop.

The phone only rings thrice before Suga picks up. He sounds a little worried, even though he's trying to make himself sound casual. "Hello?"

Taehyung's not sure what to say. He wasn't really thinking, and he can't even remember his dream to share. "Hi," he mutters back instead, soft and small and so obviously sounding like he'd been crying.

There's a pause at the other end, and Taehyung can hear the hiss of the espresso machine in the background. It's a little calming. "Are you okay?" Suga asks finally, his voice just as soft.

Taehyung really wants to see his face for some reason. He could just get up and go to Suga's coffee shop, but he's pretty sure he looks like a mess from all the crying. He doesn't want Suga to see that. "I had a bad dream."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Taehyung shakes his head and remembers that Suga can't see him. "I wish I could, but I don't remember it anymore," he lets out a little laugh that has no humor behind it, and drags his hand through his hair in mild frustration. "I'm sorry, I'm being silly."

"You're not," Suga reassures him.

"I'm bothering you at your shift," Taehyung tells him.

"I don't mind," Suga whispers back at him.

"You'll get in trouble."

"I wont," Suga promises. "If I do, I don't care."

"Hyung..."

"There's no one here for me to serve," Suga assures him again. "Stay on the phone," Suga instructs gently. "I'll keep you on speaker, you don't have to talk. We can just pretend we're in the same room."

He can't keep in the grateful sob that's in his chest. Suga doesn't comment on it and he's thankful for that. So he puts his phone on speaker as well, and lays it down on his pillow close to his ear. "Thank you..."

"If you need anything, just speak up," Suga tell him gently. 

From there all Taehyung can hear is Suga moving around his work space, washing glasses and cleaning up what's left behind. Occasionally a customer comes in and places an order, and Taehyung listens to the deep rumble of Suga's voice as he talks. Sometimes Suga just talks out loud, about music, about J-hope and the misadventures the two of them got into while they were still in high school, and anything else he can think of. And even when Suga goes quiet after that it's enough. Knowing that he's there was enough.

And before Taehyung realizes it, he's asleep once more and this time he dreams of nothing.

"Good night, Taehyung."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmao sorry not sorry for updating so frequently, but most of my chapters are short anyway
> 
> i just,, , , wanna get this idea out asap lmao


	10. Happy Fun Bonding Time

The full moon is high up in the sky when Suga leaves his apartment. It's his day off and though he would have preferred to sleep the night away, or perhaps work on his music, he was out walking the streets in the cold. There were still several people out too because the city never slept but it was still pretty peaceful and quite so he supposes it's not that bad. He scuffs his shoes against the side walk as he makes his way to Jungkook's apartment, and his young friend is already waiting for him at the apartment building's entrance when he arrives.

Jungkook smells like herbs and ashes as he approaches, and he's got a little smudge of black on his cheek. "You really didn't have to come, you know," Jungkook says, though he's happy to have his hyung around anyway.

"I just wanted to see you work for once," Suga tells him with a shrug. It's true, they've all been pretty busy, and though he's more or less vaguely aware of what Jungkook does he's never actually seen it. "And I guess I want to compare notes. You started reading up on it too, right?"

They start walking again with Jungkook leading them. They go further and further away from the heart of the city, the lights looking almost as if they're going dimmer with each step they take. The air is crisp and for once the skies are clear, and the full moon's light illuminates them both in an almost ethereal glow. "I have..." he begins, then worries his bottom lip in between his teeth. "It's just, I dunno... It seems pretty scary. I can't even do the basic stuff yet even though I've studied it," he explains, twiddles his fingers with nervous energy. He supposes he could always ask G Dragon for some tutoring so that he can relay what he learns to Suga who seems more confident about it, but G Dragon was out of the country, somewhere in Europe if he remembers correctly. But he remembers Mir, and thinks that he should try calling him up next time.

Suga shrugs his shoulders and huddles up closer. "It's okay if you can't do it, just tell me what you know about it so far." He encourages Jungkook to talk, to explain and teach him what he's learned. Even though Suga's done his own share of research and studying, there were just so many references to pick and learn from, and he wanted to make sure he was well informed before even trying. "I'm not gonna make you do it, so don't worry."

"I know you wont," Jungkook says confidently. "But I'm guessing that means you're going to do it, and that worries me."

Suga scoffs. "What? Why's that?"

"It's just a little scary, that's all. And you tend to put your everything into anything that you do," Jungkook says with a frown. "It's really admirable, but sometimes I don't think you know what your limits are."

Jungkook really is a sweetheart. Suga wonders how he could have been so lucky to be his friend. "That's why I'm asking you to be there when I do this."

"I guess..." and Jungkook sighs because he knows Suga well enough. His hyung is determined, and he's sure that there's not much he can say to change his mind. The least he can do is help him by bringing enough information to learn from, so that they can avoid any possible mistakes.

They keep discussing things until finally Jungkook brings them to an abandoned building that was once a school. Though Suga's pretty brave, looking at the place unnerves him. He's just glad that Bobbert (fuck, now even he's calling it Bobbert) isn't here with him now because that would have been trouble. He brings his wrist up to his face and presses his tiger's eye bracelet against his lips, it had become a habit now, something he did when he was feeling a little nervous and needed a little confidence boost. Jungkook beside him is doing something similar, clutching his amethyst pendant and murmuring words of encouragement to himself under his breath.

"Do you always do it here?" Suga asks after they're both a little calmer.

"Yeah," Jungkook nods as he stares at the building, before making his way towards the entrance casually. He wasn't really scared of abandoned buildings, he actually really likes them. They were eerie, sure, but it always felt to him like going on a treasure hunt or an adventure. "It's pretty safe, a lot of people come and go. It's like a free for all place."

Suga follows behind him carefully, doing his best not to step on any broken glass or exposed nails. Jungkook leads them up the stairs, doesn't even bother to pass by any of the corridors, until they get to the rooftop. It unfortunately smells like piss and looks like someone threw a party and didn't clean up, and Suga kicks away a stray beer can off the edge of the building. "It's lovely."

Jungkook grins, and Suga isn't sure if it's sarcastic or not. He finds a spot that's relatively clean and puts his backpack down, pulling out a glass jar filled with black sludge and out of his hoodie's pocket is a paint brush and his well loved and very worn down notebook. He pops open the jar as Suga approaches, flips his notebook open the somewhere along the center of it, then begins tracing shapes onto the ground with his paint brush and the black sludge.

Suga watches him for a moment at a distance, before closing the gap between them. He crouches down, takes Jungkook's notebook from his hands so that his friend has more leeway to move, and looks at the carefully detailed notes and scribbles that Jungkook has been making over the last weeks. "They're looking really pretty lately," Suga comments, his eyes following the movement of Jungkook's brush. "A little different from your old stuff. Did something change?"

"I've just been trying out new things," Jungkook comments offhandedly. He thinks of the guy across the street, the guy with tattoos that started at his finger tips and ends at his shoulders. Jungkook wonders if there is more under the shirt, under the clothes, and he feels his face flush. He shakes his head and focuses, making sure that his lines are perfect. "Sometimes I pass by the tattoo parlor across the street," he tells Suga. "I like watching the artist, he's really good" and really cute, but Jungkook keeps that thought to himself. "I think I might get one soon."

"A tattoo? Is that what you've been agonizing over all this time?" Suga raises an eyebrow at him. He vaguely remembers the tattoo parlor, though he's never been inside it.

"Well, I want it to be perfect."

Sigils. It's what Jungkook is best at. He loves the intimacy of creating one, like that it takes a lot of time and love and thought. He's still in the process of making one for Suga and for J-hope but those designs are still works in progress, hidden in a smaller notebook that he keeps under his pillow. He's made one too, well almost, for the guy with the tattoo sleeves and a smile that kind of melts his heart. It's a little embarrassing, but it's like a love letter without the words but a whole lot of meaning.

And they pass the time in silence, with Suga watching over Jungkook as Jungkook paints all over the floor. To an unknowing eye, the designs could look cryptic and almost demonic which is pretty funny because the notes in Jungkook's notebook describe each sigil to be a positive one. For protection, for luck, for a sunny day. The kid is too sweet to make something with ill intentions.

"Done!" Jungkook cheers and claps his hands once. His hands are messy with smudges of the black goo but he wipes most of it off on his jeans.

"Okay Picasso, lets get you cleaned up and head home."

"I always felt like I'm more a Van Gogh kinda guy."

"Cut your ear off, maybe then I'll see it."

 

 

Namjoon didn't expect their first meeting to go like this.

For one, he thought that he'd be meeting Suga first. He was the one that Taehyung talked about more after all. Two, he always thought that he'd be meeting both of them at the same time, at a cafe or something, because that's what Taehyung had written down for him on his planner. Instead he finds Taehyung and J-hope huddled near that Himalayan Salt Lamp (he researched it, okay) like it was some sort of camp fire, and they were talking in hushed tones as if they were at a sleep over. It was a charming scene to say the least.

"Joonie hyung," Taehyung's smile is bright as it always is. "Surprise!"

J-hope gives him the spirit fingers wave. "Surprise!!!" he says louder.

Namjoon gently closes the door behind him and puts his things aside. He makes himself a cup of tea and carefully plants himself on the ground with them at the lamp. "Are you guys telling ghost stories?" because the mood of the room certainly felt like that, and now that he's settled down he can feel the chill of the room.

"Sort of," J-hope says. "Suga ditched me for Kookie, so I ditched him to stay with Taetae."

Suga, J-hope, Kookie. What odd names.

"Hyung, this is J-hope. Hobi hyung, this is Namjoon," Taehyung finally introduces. He grabs J-hope's hand, and Namjoon's hand, then makes them clasp each other. "And now our friend circle is growing, and we're only getting more powerful."

J-hope snorts at that, but he shakes Namjoon's hand enthusiastically anyway. When they pull back, a metaphorical light bulb pops above J-hope's head. "Actually, Taetae's told me you're pretty smart. What do you think about lucid dreaming?"

So that's what they were talking about. Taehyung had told him he had a bad dream but he couldn't remember what it was. Namjoon cradles his cup of tea and tries to think back to his Psych 101 days, and the late nights he used to spend just researching random information because he liked doing that. "That's the thing where you can control your dream, right?" he asks for confirmation, and two heads nod yes at him. "I dunno, I've never really tried it before. You have to be aware that you're dreaming to be able to control the dream, and I've read that if you try to read words or look at a clock in your dreams, you won't be able to read it because it will always look wrong. That's one way to tell if you're dreaming or not."

Taehyung wishes he knew that information, but then again he can't remember what happened in his dream. Only fragments of the dream came back to him later on— the dream was very green and very blue, cold colors to match the cold feeling that he still remembers.

"I don't dream a lot though," Namjoon continues. "Or I guess I just don't remember my dreams. Everyone dreams, it's just that a lot of people forget them the moment they wake up."

J-hope leans back against his arms and nods. He has several dream journals, his oldest one was from when he was still a little boy. Nowadays however, it had been easier to keep track of his dreams— he keeps a recording device by his bedside table and transcribes his delirious sounding words later on when he's more awake.

"Dreams happen during the REM stages of sleep," Namjoon recalls. "And REM happens like, five to six times a night if you're getting a full night's rest. I think I remember reading that if someone wakes you up during your REM cycle, the dream will still be really vivid. Now that I think about it, its kinda similar to sleep paralysis isn't it?" He pulls out his phone to do a quick search about it, and greets the other two with a grin when he sees that he's not that far off. "Yeah, sleep paralysis is more likely to happen just before REM finishes."

"Sleep paralysis?" Taehyung echoes softly.

"It's when your mind is awake but your body isn't," J-hope answers softly.

"Yeah," Namjoon agrees. "REM is when you're brain is most active during sleep— so when sleep paralysis happens, you're mind is awake and in a state where it's almost like hallucinating, dreaming with your eyes open."

"Kind of like a daydream," J-hope supplies. "But it's a loooot more scary!" he speaks from experience. It's never a fun time.

"You know what it's like?" Namjoon asks. Again, he's only read about it online. He's never actually met someone who has had them. He's kinda interested in it, even though honestly it freaks him out a little. "What do you see when it happens?"

"An old lady," J-hope answers easily. He's experienced sleep paralysis so often he's almost numb to the fear of it. It's still incredibly terrifying when it's happening, but once its passed it's not so bad anymore. He got used to it. "She just sits at the edge of my bed and comes closer like she wants to tell me something. I can never see her face though and I guess that's what makes her really creepy."

"Uuugh," Taehyung actually shivers and feels the goosebumps prickling at his skin. He rubs his arms to no avail. "That's so creepy, I hate it."

J-hope lets out a vague noise. "If it ever happens to you, and boy I sure hope it doesn't, just focus really hard on moving any part of your body. A lot of people try to move their toe first, and then work their way from there. It gets easier to do that with practice."

"Hobi hyung, you've seen some real messed up stuff," Taehyung laughs and moves closer.

J-hope smiles at him and tries not to look at Bobbert's face that's slowly starting to look more human but not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jungkook is whipped
> 
> j-hope shookt even in his dreams
> 
> namjoon is confused but interested


	11. I'm The NPC That You Wish Was A Main

It was a quiet day in the bookstore.

The bookstore was huge, covering large hectares of underground land, that at times it almost seemed like a maze. It was not unusual for patrons to find themselves lost, but the flowers that dotted the walls were enchanted to help anyone as long as they ask for assistance. When Mir still freshly adopted as G Dragon's student, he had gotten lost in the quite bookstore but he didn't worry because all he had to do was ask the flowers for the way out. And the flowers glowed, blinking like Christmas lights, pointing him to where he needed to go.

Now that Mir was more familiar with the bookstore, he never got lost. The flowers, and the greenery of the bookstore in general, seemed to like Mir very much. After all he was the one who tended to them daily, and though they could not speak back he talked to them anyway. So they glowed and flickered at him, trying to communicate to him that they cherished him as much as he cherished them. It was an odd arrangement, and G Dragon probably chose him to be the bookkeeper of his precious store precisely because of this: the flowers trusted him.

"It's so quiet today, Godongyi," Mir whined at the little snake that was perched on his shoulders. He reached out to pet his friend, and the snake flicked his tongue at his fingers as if to agree. The flowers were blinking their glow at him in disagreement, and the long vines that dripped from the almost unseen ceiling swayed against the top of his head despite the lack of breeze. Mir looked at them and tilted his head in question. "You guys don't think so?" And the flowers flickered, their light pointing in the general direction of the entrance. "Oh, a guest then!"

Sure enough, he hears footsteps muffled by the lush greenery. The vines at his feet curl around his ankles gently, as if urging him to move. So Mir leaves his spot at the reading area to the staircase, and just as he rounds the corner of a bookshelf he spots Jungkook cautiously stepping onto the floor. "Hello!" he greets cheerily as he always does as Godongyi curls around his neck gently and nestles there. "How've you been, Jungkook?"

Jungkook flashes him a bright smile. "I've gone over my books," he tells Mir and shuffles around a bit with nervous energy. Even though it was his second time being there, he still can't help how massive it feels, and how it nearly overwhelms him to be there. He brings his attention back to Mir, and can't help but notice the flowers that are blooming around the bookkeeper's feet like he was a source of sunlight. "But I dunno, I want to read more about it before attempting."

Mir nods and smiles a smile the scrunches up his whole face. It's oddly charming and fits perfectly. He looks around him, and over his shoulder, and leans in closer with a hand curled around his mouth. "I don't usually let other people know about this," he says in a whisper, even though it's not really necessary— There's no one to overhear them. "But there are more books here than what you already see."

Jungkook's eyes widen slightly. "Like a secret room?"

"The Secret Garden," Mir confirms, then pulls back. "It's a library with really old tomes that hyung has collected from all over the world," he explains freely. "There are a whole bunch of books that touch on every topic you can think of! From the basics to the more advanced stuff." He starts to walk and the flowers follow him, little blossoms blooming wherever he leaves his footsteps.

"Uh!!!" Jungkook follows the flowers following Mir, his hands wrapped around the straps of his backpack. "That's really neat and all, super cool and secretive," he begins, and when he finally catches up he can't help but feel abashed. "But why are you telling me this? I mean, I'm glad that you are, I like being in on secrets but???"

"Hyung likes you, I can tell," Mir cheerily answers back like it's nothing. He'd been working with G Dragon for a while now, and he's learned a thing or two about his mentor. "I like you too."

Jungkook can't stop the heat on his cheeks.

"Hyung's the kinda guy who'll help people learn more, especially if he can tell they're really serious about it," Mir explains. "And he's really good at that, you know. Reading people. And not just because he's an empath, he's good at reading body language and the tones people use with him." The wall at his side blooms with red roses at the level of his head, and it catches his attention. He yelps quietly and makes a face that looks like he's in trouble. He talks to the roses saying "oh no, I wasn't supposed to say that." The rose grows to it's full bloom, and it's beautiful to Jungkook but looks mildly threatening to Mir, before simmering down to a little bud and then disappearing into the walls again. "Don't tell hyung!" he yells at the wall to no avail.

"You can talk to them? They're... Alive?" The younger of the two reaches for the walls, his fingers gently grazing the vines. A little daisy pops up under his touch like they were answering his question.

Mir turns around fully, smiling wide and bright. "Of course they're alive. Aside from me, they watch over this place too."

"That's amazing... Whoa!" and more daisies bloom at his hands, like they were thanking him for his compliment.

Mir eyes the flowers and scoffs in a teasing way. "They like you too. In any case, you don't have to worry about anything. I've already talked to hyung about this and he told me that you're welcome to visit The Garden whenever you want," he explains and starts leading the way again. A vine drops down to him and without even looking he opens his palm and accepts the key that the vine offers him. "There are just a few rules that I need to tell you," the bookkeeper says. "You can't bring out the books, and you can't take pictures of the pages either. Don't even try, the petunias will tell me everything if you do. And I guess it goes without saying but you can't tell anyone about this place, unless hyung says you can."

"Okay?" Jungkook nods and takes mental notes. They're in a narrow hidden hallway now, and he wouldn't have noticed it at all if Mir wasn't leading him.The walls surrounding them bloom suddenly, red oleanders moving almost as if they were pulsating. He can't understand them, but he feels a little bit intimidated.

"Calm down," Mir tells the flowers. "You'll scare him."

"I'm not scared," Jungkook mutters but it goes unheard.

The oleanders retract themselves and are replaced by Christmas Roses. Mir reaches out and pats the wall, the vines wrapping around his fingers and wrist and holds him there for a moment. "Don't worry, it's going to be fine." And after a few more hushed words of comfort the vines release their hold on the bookkeeper and the flowers disappear once more. Mir gives Jungkook a sheepish smile, before finally reaching the end of the hallway. There is a doorknob, almost hidden completely by the vines, but the keyhole is exposed. Mir pushes the key in and twists, and the door opens easily enough.

"You can take notes on your grimoire though, that's fine," Mir tells Jungkook and smiles. "I'll introduce you to the garden, so that they know you're welcome here." The flowers at the bookstore were more amicable to strangers, but the flowers in The Garden were picky things, and they didn't like it when strangers came around. Mir remembers back when he was still training under his hyung, The Garden had locked him out and refused to surrender the key to him. He hopes they wont be like that to Jungkook though.

"The next time you decide to visit, you don't need to ask me to escort you here. Just tell the flowers you want to come here and they'll lead the way. The vines will give you the key too, but you have to return it when you're done. You can bring snacks and stuff if you want to, just be sure to clean up after yourself."

"Kinda feels like being in school again," Jungkook laughs. He jumps when the door closes behind him.

"It sorta is," Mir laughs. "If you're in here and need me specifically for help, just tell the flowers again. They'll tell me and I'll come to you."

Jungkook nods. The secret library is smaller than the bookstore, though it is still teeming with so many different looking books. Some of the spines he can read, some of the other books are in languages he doesn't understand. He feels excitement bubbling in him and he rolls his weight on his feet. "Okay!"

Mir grins at him, and his snake hisses at him in a friendly way. "Anyway, let me introduce you to the snapdragons first."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok listen, MBLAQ is kind of an old group but they were my first group so I love them still. Though you don't really need to know them in this fic i guess?? Mir is just my bias =))) 
> 
> Random info:  
> Mir was the maknae of MBLAQ which is why im making him get along really well with jungkook lol  
> G Dragon can talk to the garden and flowers too, but Mir is the one who can understand them best because he's always there
> 
> the general conversation mir was having with the flowers/garden:  
> Mir: Hyung is an empath  
> Red roses: oh boy youre in trouble  
> Mir: Oh no, I wasn't supposed to say that  
> Red roses: You're in trouble  
> Mir: Don't tell hyung!!!
> 
> Jungkook: Okay?  
> Oleanders: We don't think he should be allowed in there.  
> Mir: Calm down. You'll scare him.  
> Jungkook: I'm not scared  
> Christmas roses: We do not trust him.  
> Mir: Don't worry, it's going to be fine.


	12. This Really Was A Bad Idea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: there's blood in this chapter, but its like very vague-- and also injury due to knife but like yeah its just very short and not detailed

The night sky is bright and dotted with stars, and the full moon shines brightly down at them once more. Suga's starting to wonder if all his full moon nights are going to be spent with Jungkook, but it can't be helped when they both like to take advantage of it's presence. Suga looks away from the moon and back into Jungkook's apartment, where his younger friend is scrambling around and gathering the materials that they will need for this night's procedure.

Jungkook is already exuding nervous energy, and Suga's starting to feel his hands get clammy in anticipation. They've been preparing for this night for a full month now, spending hours together whenever they could to compare notes and make sure that they were prepared. Though Jungkook's notes from the Secret Garden were a little bit lacking in the details that Suga likes to pour over, there was enough general information for him to go on. Suga had spent his own research time asking other people about their experiences with scrying and so far not many have been successful, and the ones who have weren't much more experienced than he was.

"You don't have to bring that," Suga says, breaking the mildly tense silence in the room. He walked over to Jungkook, carefully taking a wooden bowl away from the younger's hands. "Tae has one at his apartment."

"I can't believe this is how I'm meeting your boyfriend," Jungkook laughs, and there's a nervous note to it but he tries to brush it off with a laugh.

"He's not my boyfriend," Suga corrects with a roll of his eyes, placing the bowl down on the table with a soft clunk. "Not yet at least," he murmurs under his breath. He assesses Jungkook's trusty old backpack and sees that his friend has packed a jug of rain water, a few smudging sticks, and a few candles as well. His eyes trail away from the bag to the owner, and he takes note of the fact that Jungkook's wearing a lot more jewelry than he normally does— several blue stoned bracelets circle his wrists, his ever trusty amethyst pendant still hangs from his neck, a small blue pale blue stone dangles from his earring, and his fingers are decorated with rings of different colors. It was already obvious, but seeing how prepared Jungkook was being really seals the deal. Suga opens his mouth to tell him that maybe he should sit this one out, because he doesn't want to put Jungkook through this anxiety, but there is really no one else for him to ask.

J-hope is out of the picture. He can't ask him to do this.

Instead what he says is "let's go."

 

 

Tonight is a special night. At least, that's what he was told.

Taehyung moves around his apartment as he rearranges the furniture. Namjoon is out again working hard on his thesis or something like that, so he's got the place all to himself. Which is a shame really, because Suga was coming over and it would have been the perfect opportunity to finally introduce them. With a small sigh he lets himself sink onto the couch and relax, but he can't stop his leg from bouncing in anticipation. Suga had said it was a special night, but he didn't specify why that was— Taehyung was desperately hoping that it would be a date, perhaps, because maybe he's been longing to go out on a date with Suga for a while now.

He's liked Suga from the very start, though he's starting to realize that maybe he wanted to be more than just friends. He's not certain, he never really is when it comes to relationships. He's been in a few flings here and there, but never anything serious. But with Suga? He just feels that they could really be something more. When Suga smiles its like he's looking at the moon on a dark night, when he laughs its like listening the angels sing— Suga made him wax poetic and it was honestly kind of disorienting, he's never really felt this strongly for anyone before.

But it's probably not a date,Taehyung reminds himself. Who has dates that take place after midnight?

Maybe Suga did. Who knows.

He's battling with himself, getting his hopes up then putting them down because he doesn't want the sting of disappointment to hurt him when Suga possibly turns him down. He's not sure about a lot of things, but he's absolutely certain that if Suga ever came to hate him he'd probably cry until the world was flooded.

A knock on the door pulls him out of his thoughts and he quite literally stumbles to the floor in his shock. Scrambling up, he calls out "coming!" and makes his way to the door but not before he gives himself one last check in the mirror to see if his hair was still looking good and that his outfit was not crumpled due to how much he'd been fussing for the last few hours. He finally pulls the door open with a wide smile, but his eyebrows shoot up when he finds that Suga is not alone. He tries to calm his enthusiasm. "Hello hyung! You brought another friend."

Suga nods, and gives Taehyung a smile of his own. Taehyung swears he feels his heart skip a beat. "This is Jungkook, he's going to help out tonight."

"Hello!" Jungkook greets cheerily, his smile so big that it makes his cheeks look big too. "We're gonna have to move some stuff around so—" but he manages a peek into the apartment and sees that Taehyung had already rearranged it. "Oh, well I guess that's step one already done."

Taehyung invites the both of them. Taehyung had cleared out most of the living room, pushed most of the furniture to the side so that they clung to the wall, but Suga and Jungkook move everything else as well until the center is clear. He kinda likes how it looks, makes the room seem a lot bigger than it actually was. "What are we doing tonight?" he asks softly, because both his guests were being very quiet and he felt awkward if he spoke too loudly.

"Taehyungie, can you get me your fruit bowl?" Suga asks just as softly.

It really is unfair, Taehyung thinks. He'd probably do anything Suga asked of him, especially if he called him cute nicknames like that. "Sure," he murmurs, heading into the small kitchen to retrieve the bowl. He empties out the fruits onto the counter, washes the bowl quickly, before heading back into the room to give it to Suga.

Suga takes it from him and Taehyung's a little bit disappointed that their fingers didn't brush together like in those cheesy dramas that he liked to watch so much. "I'm going to try talking to Bobbert," Suga tells him as he sets the bowl down on the floor. "It's not something I usually do so I guess I'm kinda nervous."

"I'm not the one who's gonna do the talking and I feel nervous," Jungkook admits as he draws some weird looking symbols onto the floor with, thankfully, washable markers. "Hyung, what are you gonna put in the bowl?"

"Ah, I haven't thought about it yet," Suga replies. He rummages through his pockets for a coin or anything he could use, but he stops when he feels Taehyung's hand on his. "What is it?"

Taehyung reaches into the pocket of his dress shirt and pulls out the little black stone that Suga had given him and places it into Suga's hand. When Suga realizes what it is, the biggest, gummiest smile Taehyung has ever seen spreads across his face and he feels his face get a little warmer. His hyung was so cute and having that smile directed at him was like getting the air punched out of his lungs.

He was whipped. It's not so bad.

"This is perfect," Suga laughs, and he feels a little of his own anxiety ebb away. He sits down in front of the bowl and places the obsidian stone right in the middle of it. Taehyung sits down next to him, and Jungkook sits on his other side. Behind him he takes the jug of water that they brought along and he pours it into the bowl until it's almost overflowing. Taehyung lights the candles that Jungkook had set up without being asked, and smiles again appreciatively.

Before he can start, Jungkook grabs his hand and really quickly scribbles a sigil onto it and then he grabs Taehyung's hand to do the same. "It just makes me feel better," Jungkook admits to them, holding his own hand up to show them that he has the same sigil scribbled onto his skin. "It's like solidarity or something, I don't know."

"This'd be neat as a tattoo," Taehyung tells him.

"Yeah?" Jungkook brightens up and he can't stop the smile on his face. "Nice."

"The kid's planning on getting one soon," Suga joins in. "But he's being all shy about his design cause he thinks the tattoo artist will think it's stupid."

"Oh, my best friend does tattoos and he's really good at it," Taehyung chirps. Although the conversation is lighthearted, he can't help but feel the tension in the air. Is it because of Bobbert? It probably is. He tries to ignore the foreboding feeling. "And I swear, he won't laugh at your designs. Okay, maybe he will a little bit because sometimes he can be mean, but he never means it. Your aesthetic is actually kinda similar to his."

"If you chicken out at least you have an alternative tattoo artist, yeah?" Suga grins at Jungkook teasingly, and lets out a short laugh. He feels the air too, feels how different it is, and maybe he's been stalling a little bit too much. With a shake of his head he puts his attention back to the bowl and he lets out a deep breath. "Okay, I'm gonna start."

"What should we do?" Taehyung asks. "Hold hands or something?"

Jungkook grins. "Hyung would like that."

"Shut up," Suga warns. "No, no need to hold hands. I just didn't want to do this alone. Just... Watch me, I guess. Make sure I'm safe."

Taehyung lets out a confused "okay" at the same time Jungkook lets out a determined "okay."

Suga closes his eyes for a moment and takes a few deep breaths. When he feels as relaxed as he can manage himself to be, he opens his eyes and gazes into the water.

 

 

J-hope doesn't remember when he went to sleep, or what he was doing before that. All he knows now is that he's dreaming.

He was used to lucid dreaming, he'd been doing it for as long as he can remember. But his dream felt different this time, it felt like it was alive. More apt to say J-hope feels like he doesn't really belong in the dream, like he's accidentally stepped into someone else's property without permission, which he finds odd because as he walks the plane of his unconscious mind he recognizes everything that he passes by, like little landmarks of his memories. He sees his old schools, the familiar streets he used to spend practicing his dance with his friends, the train station where he first met Suga, the dance studio he now works at, and finally his current apartment.

It's a warm walk, warm in the sense that those memories filled him with happy nostalgia. Quite literally a walk down memory lane. But the apartment is empty, and he's pretty sure that in the awake world it's empty too. Which, now that he thinks about it, is pretty strange because he knows that it's Suga's night off. But before he can question the emptiness of the apartment even further, he hears something coming from his own room. But he's not really hearing anything, but more like the sensation of hearing something. It's an odd sensation and it makes his skin itch. His ears are picking something up, but he doesn't hear anything.

Curiosity getting the better of him, he walks into his room and sees that there is nothing wrong. Everything is as he's left it.

Until he sees the person sleeping on his bed. Was Suga feeling lonely and decided he wanted to cuddle up once J-hope got home? He lets out a little laugh because sometimes his hyung was really stupidly cute. He makes his way to the bed, just to see Suga's sleeping face, but he's surprised when what he sees is his reflection. He's even more surprised when his reflection's eyes open and stare right at him.

The person that is not him but is wearing his face sits up on his bed and smiles at him warmly. He's wearing a striped blue shirt and an aviator hat, and he waves hello.

J-hope, taken aback, waves back in return.

The thing that is not him lets the smile drop off it's face and replaces it with a little frown. J-hope doesn't like how his face looks when he's frowning, because it makes him look tired and unapproachable. But the thing that is not him reaches under the blankets of the bed and pulls out a deck of tarot cards and starts shuffling them, and beckons J-hope closer so that they can both look at the cards.

Uncertainty thrumming through him, J-hope sits at the edge of the bed and watches his own not-his fingers shuffle the cards.

The thing that is not him holds the deck in it's hands and pulls one card out. He offers the cards to J-hope, waiting expectantly.

J-hope pulls a card of his own: it's the seven of pentacles. It's also just now that he realizes that his reflection was using Suga's tarot deck instead of the one he owned. "I don't understand." Both their cards slip from their fingers and hovers around them, waiting patiently.

The other him reveals his card to be the eight of pentacles, but it doesn't really help J-hope understand what it's trying to tell him. The thing that is not him pouts and squirms in a mini tantrum, before drawing another card and urging without words for J-hope to do the same.

The next cards are the three of pentacles and the upside down magician. The cards join the other two, circling around them now like vultures. It was a little unnerving.

J-hope is starting to piece things together now. "Is this about Suga?" he asks his reflection.

The thing that is not him nods solemnly. It draws another card.

The ten of swords, The Tower.

J-hope feels his heart turn to ice.

Suga was planning something, or he already planned something and _didn't fucking tell him_. Suga was going to do something really stupid, or he was already in the process of doing it. And it wasn't going to end well.

He looks at the cards still hovering around him, the ten of swords and The Tower almost look like they were taunting him. He pushes them away and leans into the thing that wasn't him, grabs him by the collar of it's jacket and shakes it in his worry. "What should I do?"

The thing that is not him curls it's hand around his ear and whispers with a voice that isn't there.

"Wake up."

 

J-hope actually yelps as he's jolted out of sleep so suddenly.

"Yah! Oppa! What happened?!"

"I have to go," J-hope says urgently, grabbing his things as quickly as possible. "Sorry Lisa!"

Lisa scrambles up as quickly as he does, trying to match his pace as he hurriedly gets ready to leave the dance studio. "What happened? You were muttering in your sleep so I was starting to get worried!" she huffed at him, still following after him even as he exited. "We're not done with the choreography!"

He's taking large strides now, and he really doesn't want to brush off his dongsaeng so rudely but he really didn't have the time to explain. "I know, I know! I'm sorry, I know I said I just needed a power nap but I think I'm coming down with a cold or something," he lies and he's surprised by how easily it comes. He even lets out a little cough to prove his point.

He at least stops at the entrance of the building, and lets Lisa catch up to him to really apologize, but before he can Lisa is already gently hitting his chest with her closed fist.

"You scared me!" she says, though she doesn't sound angry just worried. "And you are looking a little bit pale," she adds, stopping her little hits once she's satisfied. She lets out a little sigh and quite literally pushes at him. "Just come in early next time so we can make up for lost time, okay?"

"I'll make it up to you!" J-hope calls over his shoulder in a voice he hopes sounds normal. "Thanks Lisa!" he yells as he runs across the street, scrambling for his phone as he does so. He dials Suga's number and put the phone against his ear, never taking a break to catch his breath. If he could just hear Suga's voice, even if Suga cusses him out for disturbing his sleep or whatever, then he'd be happy. But the phone just goes to voice mail and he curses. After a few more tries he decides to call Jungkook's number and he almost sobs in relief when the other boy picks up the phone. "Jungkook, where's—"

"Hyung?! Fuck, shit! I've been trying to call you—" Jungkook actually wheezes on the other end.

Dread fuels him and J-hope makes himself run faster. "Where are you, is Suga with you?"

"We're at Taehyung's place!" Jungkook answers in distress. "Hyung, wherever you are please hurry, I don't know what to do!"

"I'll be there soon, I promise," he feels his hands shaking but its not because of the energy he's extorting. "Just make sure Suga's okay, _please._ " He sounds desperate. He feels desperate.

 

 

Suga has been motionless for an hour now.

At the ten minute mark, Jungkook said that it was nothing to worry about, that Suga was just really getting started. But as another ten passed Jungkook was starting to fidget. At thirty minutes, Jungkook couldn't stand it anymore and took Suga's hand into his and gasped a little at how cold they were. "Hyung could you get a blanket or something?" the younger whispered at Taehyung in the calmest voice he could manage.

Taehyung looked hesitant to leave but after a few seconds of silence he nods and leaves the room.

"Suga," Jungkook whispers urgently, shaking his hand. "Suga hyung, wake up."

Suga doesn't reply.

"Hyung, please," he tries again. "You're scaring me."

Taehyung comes back with a few blankets, and he gently wraps them around Suga's still form. He purses his lips as he settles back down, right next to Suga now. He mirror's Jungkook and takes Suga's free hand and frowns at how cold they were. He sandwiches the cold palm between his own, urging warmth back into them. "Is this normal? Is this supposed to happen?"

Jungkook shakes his head. He doesn't have the right words to explain. "I, uh, I'm gonna call Hobi hyung..." he says softly with a frown. "I wasn't supposed to tell him but... I really don't like what's going on right now. I think somethings wrong."

It takes far too long to contact J-hope. More minutes pass and Suga still isn't moving or doing anything. His breathing has become so slow that it's almost like he's about to stop. When J-hope finally answers and promises to be there as soon as he can, Jungkook clutches Suga's hand tighter. "This was a bad idea, we shouldn't have done this, we shouldn't have done this!!!" he repeats like a mantra as he shakes Suga's arm. "Hyung please, wake up! Please! Pretty please!"

"Why isn't he moving? What's happening?!" Taehyung asks.

After catching his breath and calming himself down, Jungkook tries to think of a way to explain it best. "H-have you ever seen the movie insidious?"

Taehyung nods and he can already see that its not good.

"We'll it's sorta like that. Suga hyung's like the kid. He's not here, but his body is," Jungkook explains as he still shakes at Suga's shoulders. "If he stays away from his body too long then—"

A bang at the door surprises both of them and Jungkook scrambles to open it.

"Suga," Taehyung whispers, clutching at his hand. "Suga hyung, where are you? Wont you come back?"

"How long has he been—" J-hope enters with an air of seriousness but even if his voice sounds commanding and calm, Taehyung can see the way his shoulders shake and the way his eyes waver, especially when J-hope catches sight of Suga. Whatever facade of calm he was trying to show disappears and he almost dives just to get to his best friend. "Suga? Suga, wake up you fool," he whispers harshly, desperately, his hands reaching up to hold Suga's face. "Suga you're a fucking idiot, why didn't you tell me?"

Even his face feels cold. J-hope holds back a sob. "Why do you do stupid things like this? Why can't you be selfish once in a while?" He can't lose Suga, he really can't. Though they've never really talked about it J-hope's certain that the man in front of him right now was his soulmate and he knows Suga feels the same way. They were opposites but they complemented each other's personalities, balanced each other out. If Suga left him then...

He doesn't want to think about it.

"Hyung..." Jungkook sounds close to tears.

"I'm trying," J-hope says softly. He's trying to concentrate, trying to follow Suga into whatever god damned place he decided to put himself into. But it's hard to focus because all he can think of is how scared he is.

Taehyung, oddly calm despite his own anxiety, stands up slowly. "We just have to wake him up right?"

Jungkook nods, but his focus is on his hyungs.

"Suga, come back to me, please. Don't you dare leave me alone," J-hope whispers still, his thumbs brushing against Suga's cheeks. "Come back, come back, _please._ "

Taehyung leaves the room for a short moment, as the other two desperately call out to their friend. When he comes back he crouches down next to Suga, and gently pushes at J-hope's shoulders. He nods his thanks at J-hope when he moves, and then he takes Suga's hand into his once again. "Hyung you're really scaring us," he says in a calm voice that shakes just a little bit. "And I'm not really aware of all the magic stuff that you guys do..." he brushes his thumb against Suga's knuckles. They're cold. "But I think I have an idea. I don't think you're gonna like it thought, and I really hope you can forgive me."

"Taetae...?"

Taehyung offers J-hope an apologetic smile as well. "Hyung don't hate me for this," he pleads one last time before—

—flicking the blade of a knife quickly against the pam of Suga's left hand.

The effects are instant, however, and Suga breathes in so deeply and harshly that he actually looses balance. But Taehyung catches him before he can fall.

"Oh my god!" Jungkook yelps at the sight of blood. "Oh fuck, oh god, that's a lot of blood," he rushes around the room, looking for a first aid kit.

"Taetae, you're a genius," J-hope sobs in relief, wrapping his arms around Suga and holding him tight. "Oh my god. I almost lost you, oh my god."

Suga's eyelids flicker for a moment before opening completely, and the first thing he sees is Taehyung's face. And then he feels the sharp pain at his hand, and then he sees his own blood dripping down his fingers. "You cut me?"

Taehyung looks like he regrets it a little bit, but more than that he looks relieved. "It was the only thing I could think of." And finally all off the odd calm energy is gone from Taehyung, and the small smile that was on his face crumbles and distorts into a frown. He's crying hard now, clutching onto Suga's arm as he sobs. "I was so scared, hyung. I was so so scared," his words are hard to understand through his tears. "I know you did this for my sake, but if it puts you in danger then I don't want your help!"

Suga blinks. He's not quite sure what happened while he was... Gone... He can't even quite remember what he saw. But what he sees now is his best friend sobbing into his shoulder, and Taehyung clinging onto his arm and crying and apologizing for something that quite possibly saved Suga's life. And even though Taehyung kind of looks really ridiculous crying like that, and even though sometimes Taehyung can be a little annoying, Suga realizes that he might possibly do anything if it meant that Taehyung could have a peaceful life. Suga realizes that quite possibly that he would risk his everything if it meant Taehyung would be safe.

He realized possibly that his crush might be more than a crush.

With his uninjured hand, he holds Taehyung's face. They younger man leans into the touch, places his own hand on top of Suga's and lets out another hard sob.

"Yoongi."

"Wh-what?"

Suga smiles gently. "My name is Min Yoongi."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im sorry if the romance between taegi is fast paced =)) this story has been stewing in my head for so long that they're practically official already in this hfjdkalfhdjkalfehhakjd
> 
> also sope platonic soulmates forever


	13. And Oh, The Butterflies

Perhaps it is love. Taehyung's not sure.

Taehyung has fallen in love plenty of times before, though he knows that they've never really been that serious. They were usually just bouts of infatuation, or sometimes just falling in love with the concept of love. And though his short lived crushes always brough him the nice warm feeling at the center of his chest, he knew that it wasn't really anything deep.

Of course, there have been a few select cases where he genuinely thought that he was in love. He thought for a long while that he might have been actually in love with his best friend Jimin. He remembers the warmth from his friend's smile, the care and adoration they both mutually shared. He really thought that perhaps that Jimin was The One. But they tried dating, and nothing really changed, at least not for the better. After a while it got a little bit strained until Jimin decided to break it off. It didn't hurt, and he wasn't surprised. And even after that awkward phase of their life they stayed best friends.

After he moved into the city for university and met Namjoon, he thought he loved Namjoon too. It was hard not to like the man, especially when you had his dimpled smile directed at you. Namjoon was caring, and understanding, and a little bit silly. It was hard not to fall in love with him, he was a bit of a heart breaker honestly, with how easy it was to befriend him and how genuine he always was. But the thing about Namjoon was that he was focused on everything else but his love life, he didn't even notice the longing stares that some people sent his way; he wanted to learn more about the world more than he wanted to get to know about the girl who once asked him out. And Taehyung admired that about him, how focused he was on his dream, and eventually the feeling of infatuation bubbled away until all that was left was the platonic love that he still held for his roommate.

But Suga— _Yoongi,_ (thinking of his name alone makes Taehyung squirm in his seat, his heart tingling with an odd feeling he cant quite name) was different. He was certain of it. While he adored the idea of love at first sight, at princes saving princesses from high towers protected by dragons, at star crossed lovers doing their best to be together, he never really considered it in real life. He loved the stories, how cheesy they were, but he was still pretty grounded despite his silly personality. But Yoongi was different, he can feel it in his bones, and he has no other explanation other that quite possibly, maybe, he really did fall in love at first sight.

Taehyung knows that people find him attractive. Taehyung knows that he's handsome. He's not ashamed of it, but he doesn't brag about it either. So he knows that sometimes, people only like him because of his looks. He knows that not everyone just wants to be his friend. He supposes that, as he grew up, he grew a little more jaded in this aspect. So falling in love was fun, but finding out that someone loved him, just because of his looks, never really felt good to him. After a while they'd get put off by how odd he could be, and he didn't want to have to extravagantly change himself just so that, maybe once, someone would stay.

Looking for love had fallen down his priority list.

But god, Yoongi was different. He's certain.

The warmth at his chest only radiates, and though the autumn chill is constantly nipping at his nose he can barely feel it. While his face was usually blank, just thinking of Yoongi brought a smile to his face. And Taehyung's been nothing but himself the entire time he's gotten to know Yoongi, and though he knows that Yoongi might have been a little put off by his skin ship at first, the elder had gotten used to it to the point that it felt odd if they weren't holding hands.

Yoongi likes him, he's pretty sure. But now he's pretty sure that Yoongi likes him more than just because of his face.

"Are you sure though?" Jimin asks over his cup of coffee. It had been a while since they last got together, they'd both been so busy. It was nice to be able to finally catch up in person. "Like, no offense Tae but you fall in love pretty quickly."

"None taken," Taehyung relents easily, stirring at his hot chocolate in quiet thought. He understands where Jimin is coming from, of course. After all, Jimin kind of knew him like the back of his hand. "It's just... I really think he's the one."

"You said that about Joonie hyung," Jimin laughs gently.

Taehyung scoffs and leans back against his chair, folding his arms over his chest like a petulant child. "I mean it this time! I feel like if I don't say something to him, I'm going to regret it for the rest of my life."

Jimin folds his arms too, though less child like and more adult like as compared to Taehyung. "Then I guess you should just tell him? No point in beating around the bush anyway, is there?" After he speaks his words, it brings a question to his head. "Actually, I'm surprised you haven't already blurted out that you like him."

"Because what if he doesn't like me back?" Taehyung murmurs softly. "With you, I think I already knew you wouldn't friend-dump me after—"

"Our friendship is sealed in blood, Tae. Not even an awkward dating phase could tear us apart."

"Yeah! Exactly! I knew that if the relationship didn't work out, I'd still have a best friend. But with Suga hyung it... I don't know. I think I'd cry for days if he didn't like me back."

Jimin swings his arm back and drapes it around Taehyung's shoulders, pulling him in close for a half-hug. "If he breaks your heart perhaps I will break his leg."

"No!" Taehyung laughs, though he is mildly offended that Jimin would even think to hurt the love of his life. But he knows that Jimin is telling him this to make him laugh, and to assure him that if Yoongi does break his heart he will still at least have Jimin with him.

"Besides, Tae. Remember our deal?"

They have had many deals. Since they were kids. Taehyung's not certain he knows what Jimin is talking about. "Oh, the one where I help you hide the body if you ever kill someone?" a morbid joke from their early teen years, when DeathNote was still rampant and constantly a topic of discussion.

Jimin snorts at the sudden memory, but manages to keep his laughter back. "No, silly. The one where if we're both single at the age of 40, we should just marry each other."

Taehyung huffs fondly at that, rests his head against Jimin's shoulder even though it's kinda hard. "Yeah, I remember."

 

 

"Say aaaah~"

Yoongi looks distastefully at the spoon that is hovering in front of him. He's been bedridden for three days, two of those days spent sleeping, and the third day, today, he's being coddled by his best friend. It's nice, in a way, but also mildly annoying. "I can feed myself, Hoseok," Yoongi grumbles, attempting to take the spoon away from his friend's hand but his friend moves too quickly for him.

"Yaahh, it's been so long since I've heard you say my name," Hoseok grins so wide it puts the sun to shame. He even dances in his glee, miraculously keeping the congee in the spoon despite his rigorous movements. "It feels so nice to hear it again."

Yoongi rolls his eyes and finally opens his mouth to let Hoseok feed him. Whatever, it's not like he lets this happen everyday. And the congee is really good too. He wonders if Hoseok made it himself, but remembers that the only decent thing Hoseok can make is kimchi friend rice, his tea, and instant ramen. "Where'd you get this stuff anyway?"

Hoseok stirs the contents of the bowl, blowing at it to cool it down a little more. "Kookie got his hyung to make it for you," he answers as he scoops another spoonful and happily feeds it to Yoongi who doesn't push away this time. "And he even got another one of his hyungs to help him spice it up a little to help you recover faster. Honestly, that boy is getting so many connections so fast," he chuckles. Jungkook's hyung, the one who was like them, apparently was quite the expert with herbology. After vaguely hearing about what had happened to Yoongi, the man named Mir had given Jungkook the herbs that would help him recover his energy faster.

They talk in quiet tones, the bowl of congee slowly disappearing between them. And though its a conversation Yoongi wishes to avoid, he knows he has to talk about it. Hoseok deserves an apology and he knows it. With a heavy sigh, he locks his fingers around Hoseok's wrist before his friend can leave to put the dishes away. "I'm sorry, Hobi."

Hoseok stills for a moment, his eyes wide before settling into a more subdued look. He sits back down on the edge of Yoongi's bed, the bowl carefully cradled on his lap. "You really gave me a scare, Yoongi. I want to be angry at you, really, but I'm just glad you're back here and safe." He smiles, and he means it. He was never really good at holding grudges anyway. "You just have to promise me you're not gonna pull that shit again, at least not without me."

"But," he sighs, his grip on Hoseok's wrist loosening but not leaving. "I know you hate that, going to the other side. I know that it scares you."

"I'd face it a thousand times to save you, Yoongi."

A rush of affection washes over Yoongi, and he almost feels like he's drowning. Really, what did he do to deserve this stupid idiot best friend of his, who smiles like he's the sun? "I'm such a fucking idiot."

Hoseok beams brightly, leaning over to press a chaste kiss at the tip of Yoongi's nose. "I know this, and I love you."

"Ugh, get out of here," Yoongi urges, fighting the blush that he knows is crawling up his face.

Hoseok snickers into his hand but leaves as he's instructed. "Try and get more rest, hyung. I think you should be better by tomorrow."

His head his the pillow as soon as he hearts the door click closed as Hoseok leaves. He finds it odd that his body doesn't feel tired, his mind doesn't particularly feel tired, but he is tired in a way that he can't quite explain. Hoseok tells him that it's natural that he feels that way, especially since it was his first time scrying and he'd gone so far away from his body for so long. Hoseok had told him that the fatigue doesn't usually last long for someone more experienced.

When he closes his eyes, he dreams. He slips into the world of the unconscious so easily that he almost doesn't register the fact that he's sleeping. It takes him a while, but he sits up in his bed and sees that he isn't surrounded by his room. Instead around him is just green bushes and tall trees, the smell of summer and the warmth of the sun. He thinks that perhaps that this is a memory, because he recognizes his surroundings even though it's been so long since he's last been home.

He stands and the world shifts around him a little to accommodate him; the bed is gone and the sun a little less glaring and the path a little clearer. Without anything to do he walks forwards, tries to remember his origin point as best as he can, but as he keeps putting one foot forward after the other, the world behind him shifts into something different. He feels like he should be worried, but he knows that despite the constantly changing surroundings he can find his way back home.

The path he walks is familiar, but not. He knows that he's been there before, when he was much younger, during a family outing that he can't quite remember. He remembers making friends with the other kids there, to pass the time while his parents caught up with relatives he didn't really know about at the time. He and his brother spent most of their time playing with other kids dragged out into the sticks for the summer and he can't help but smile fondly at the memory.

Childhood was a much easier time. He didn't worry about what other people thought of him, then. All he cared about was having a good time.

He keeps walking, closer to the edge of a forest. He doesn't remember it well, or at all actually, so he pauses. He pauses because this is probably not his memory anymore, at least he doesn't think so. But he's drawn to the forest for reasons he can't really explain so he walks towards it without hesitance.

Until he feels a hand at his sleeve.

He turns around and finds himself face to face with Hoseok. But its not Hoseok, he's certain, because this being feels different. "Who are you?"

Not Hoseok smiles a Hoseok smile. Yoongi thinks that he should be unnerved by a creature that has stolen his best friend's appearance but he isn't. Not Hoseok seems delighted by Yoongi's lack of fear and doubt, and it raises it's hands and hooks it's index fingers together repeatedly.

"Friend," Yoongi mutters softly. He'd taken ASL as an elective a few years back when he was still in university, he doesn't remember a lot of it aside from the basics.

Not Hoseok smiles, but the smile falls a little when it looks at the forest. He points at the tree line, and shakes his head.

"I'll be quick," Yoongi tries to reassure, but not Hoseok holds his wrist again. "I have to know," he insists.

Not Hoseok now looks put off by Yoongi's stubbornness but he relents pretty easily. He holds his fist to his chest with his pinky extended, before clenching his hands into fists and crossing his arms together then pokes Yoongi at the chest.

_"I'll protect you._

Yoongi scoffs but smiles. Even in his dreams, Hoseok was looking out for him. "Okay."

Not Hoseok takes his hand and waits for him to lead. So Yoongi walks towards the forest and the closer he gets the more he begins to hear the soft sniffling of a child. Though Yoongi isn't exactly that fond of children, he can't really find it in himself to leave them alone if they were obviously distressed. He keeps walking until he finally finds the child, sitting at the edge of the forest with scraped knees and a muddied face. "Hey, are you alright?"

The child yelps at the sudden voice and stumbles back. His face is not just muddy, but it's covered in tears and snot. He tries his best to wipe his face clean, to make himself look braver in front of the older boy.

Yoongi's pretty sure that the child before him is Taehyung. He can't explain why, but he knows its him. He extends his free hand towards the child, smiling as gently as he can. "C'mon, lets go."

"I can't," little Taehyung tells him, even though he takes Yoongi's hand anyway. "I have to go. I have to go in there!"

In there, it would seem, was the forest.

Yoongi purses his lips. Not Hoseok shakes his head.

"Hyung!" Taehyung demands suddenly, his voice still shaky with tears. But he looks more determined now. "You're a big kid! You can come with me so I'll be less scared!"

"I'm not exactly a kid anymore," Yoongi scoffs, not budging even as Taehyung pulls at him. "I don't think we should go in there, Tae."

"We have to!" Taehyung demands. "We have to, hyung!"

Not Hoseok is shaking his head more urgently now, tugging at Yoongi's hand. _"We have to leave."_

"No!" Taehyung screeches in his small child voice. "You _have_ to come with me, hyung! I don't want to be alone! Please! Yoongi hyung, please don't leave me alone!"

At first, Yoongi desperately wanted to agree with Taehyung. It was hard to say no, when all he wanted was to see Taehyung's smile. But there was something about the way that this little Taehyung said his name that made a shiver run down his spine. "We shouldn't," Yoongi says softly. When he tries to pull his hand away, Taehyung's grip gets stronger. "We— I should go."

Taehyung's crying again, but he wont let go. "No! No! You have to, please! I don't want to be alone anymore!!!"

Yoongi can't take it anymore, it's too much for him to handle. It's a dream, and it's not his memory, so it's something else. He snatches his hand back and as soon as he does not Hoseok's literally picking him up from the ground and running off before little Taehyung can make a grab at them. Not Hoseok keeps running and running, until the forest behind them is so small and blurry, until the forest behind them is gone.

Not Hoseok puts him down finally, when they're back in Yoongi's dream bedroom.

"What was that?" Yoongi asks, rattled. He feels cold all over, and he feels like perhaps he just avoided another near death experience. "Was that really Taehyung?"

Not Hoseok shakes his head. He crosses his index fingers together and pulls them apart in an arch.

"Then who was it?" Yoongi asks, sitting at the edge of his bed. He feels like he's going to wake up soon, and he needs to get as many answers as he can before then.

Not Hoseok reaches into the pocket of Yoongi's hoodie and pulls out the four of wands. He places it into Yoongi's hands and nods. He stacks his fists together and twists his wrists like he's wringing a dish cloth, then the touches the tips of his index fingers and thumbs together to make rings, the rest of his fingers fanning out. He links the rings like a chain.

"I don't understand."

Not Hoseok gives him a patient look, hands curled into fists at chest level before flicking them towards Yoongi. _"Try._

 

 

Yoongi wakes up with a gasp. The sun has fallen down the city and even though it's dim in his room he can see the surprised expression on Taehyung's face.

"Did I wake you? Sorry, I—"

"I think I know you," Yoongi says abruptly, eyes wide as he starts to piece things together. "I think we've met before."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a mini chara update
> 
> magical people:  
> Suga - mostly healing magic  
> J-hope - astral projection related magic, mild empath, also divination  
> Jungkook - sigils and gemstones, looking into divination too, probably going to do pendulum magic  
> G. Dragon - all around guy, you just do not mess with him  
> Mir - green magic
> 
> nonmagic people:  
> Taehyung - hes an art student  
> Namjoon - biochem student who is constantly suffering  
> Jin - runs the restaurant, babies Jungkook  
> jennie - jins cousin and coworker, also babies jungkook  
> Jimin - the tattoo artist across the street, taehyungs best friend since diaper days  
> Lisa - J-hope's assistant teacher with dancing classes


End file.
